Laboratory Billing Department Communication With Physicians and Patients

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The page below is a sample from the LabCE course Medicare Compliance for Clinical Laboratories (retired 2/17/2021). Access the complete course and earn ASCLS P.A.C.E.-approved continuing education credits by subscribing online.

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Laboratory Billing Department Communication With Physicians and Patients

Billing department employees are responsible for following all policies and procedures related to the submission of claims to reduce erroneous billings. It is important that billing department employees are clear and accurate when communicating with physician office personnel and patients.
  • Never guess at the answer to a question; ask if you are unsure.
  • Do not speculate or express personal opinions.
When requesting diagnosis information from the physician office staff, be careful to not lead them to give a billable code. The code must come from the patient's medical record.
Billing department employees must accurately state laboratory policies and procedures, or forward the call to a supervisor to avoid misstatements and misunderstandings.