In a shared visit, how is the service billed if the physician performs a face-to-face encounter in a hospital setting?

In the context of shared visits, which commonly occur in hospital settings, the billing process allows for flexibility regarding who can bill for the service provided during a face-to-face encounter. When both a physician and a non-physician practitioner (NPP) are involved in a patient's care during the same visit, either the physician or the NPP can bill for the visit, provided that the encounter meets the necessary documentation and medical necessity criteria.

This billing practice is particularly advantageous because it allows the healthcare provider to choose the most appropriate practitioner to claim the encounter based on the specifics of the visit. This can help optimize reimbursement and streamline the care delivery process. The important factor in this scenario is ensuring that the documentation accurately reflects the contributions of the physician or NPP in managing the patient's care.

The option indicating that it is not billable under any circumstances does not apply here, as services provided during shared visits are generally billable. Similarly, the requirement for billing solely by the NPP or as a group service does not reflect the flexibility afforded in shared visit situations, where either party can take responsibility for billing based on the nature of their involvement in patient care.