Center to Advance Palliative Care

I would like to clarify this billing situation and then let you know how you as a consutling physician can be reimbursed. 1. The hospital cannot bill Medicare for a hospice general inpatient stay. The hospital must have a contractual relationship with the hospice and they bill the hospice for the general inpatient stay. 2. The hospice bills Medicare Part A for the general inpatient level of care if the hospice patient was a Medicare beneficiary. 3. If you are seeing the patient for the same hopsice diagnosis, you need to have a contractual relationship with the hospice to provide consulting physician services (every hospice should hace this, but if they don't let me know and I will forward you one for them to sign so you can be reimbursed). Your charges are submitted to the hospice, which are then billed on their hospice claim to Medicare (if they do not know how to do this I will provide my contact info. and you can have them contact me so they can bill for your charges). Once, they are reimbursed,they should pay you. Let me know if I can be of further assistance off line by contacting me through my email sreynolds@fhpc-in.org Hope this helps. SueAnn