Standby: Take a Look at Documentation of 4 Areas before Submitting Claims

As we know, CPT's evaluation & management section includes only one code for standby time; however limited choices do not guarantee payment. Take a look at these four areas to see you get your well-deserved payments.

You should code based on availability and not care. Your first step in gearing up to submit a claim for standby service is to understand what you are reporting and what you are not. Code 99360 does not represent patient care, rather, it represents availability.

You need to document three important factors. Even though CPT includes a standby code, may payers don't reimburse for the service. Thorough documentation of your provider's service is paramount as you might be faced with an appeal. While coding 99360 for standby care, here are some key tips to keep in mind.

1. Yet another doctor must request that your anesthesiologist make himself available for standby time. You require this request in writing along with justification for why the other physician requests anesthesia standby.

2. The chart should cover a note by the anesthesiologist documenting that his service might be required.

3. Information about the anesthesiologist's involvement in the case.

You should also double check times and locations

Being able to report standby service hinges on a couple of important factors, which are time and location. You anesthesiologist must be in attendance for standby for at least 30 minutes and he must document that time. CPT indicates that if the time's less than 30 minutes, you do not report it separately. However, it is always a good idea to document patient care irrespective of whether it is billable or not.

Remember: Coding for standby time means your anesthesiologist doesn't have face to face contact with the patient. You should report his total time of availability, if it's 30 minutes or more. If your anesthesiologist is on standby for less than 30 minutes, document his availability, however do not charge for the time.

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