Practice Management

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  • 1.  Orders

    Posted 10-20-2022 11:28
    Hello, 

    Would anyone be willing to share or tell me your policy regarding verbal orders in a free standing imaging center?  By verbal orders, I mean the referring physician office calling the imaging center and a Tech documenting the order without a physician signature.  I believe this is acceptable in a hospital setting with the signed order being allowed after the fact, but I wanted to see if there was anything for free standing imaging centers.  Everything that I can find makes it seem as if CMS wants the signed order before the study.

    Any help is greatly appreciated!

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    Misty Birch
    RRV Management, Inc.
    misty.birch@radinc.net
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  • 2.  RE: Orders

    Posted 10-20-2022 12:44
    Chapter 15 of the Medicare Benefit Policy Manual section 80.6.1 states:

    An "order" is a communication from the treating physician/practitioner requesting that a diagnostic test be performed for a beneficiary. The order may conditionally request an additional diagnostic test for a particular beneficiary if the result of the initial diagnostic test ordered yields to a certain value determined by the treating physician/practitioner (e.g., if test X is negative, then perform test Y). An order may be delivered via the following forms of communication:

    A written document signed by the treating physician/practitioner, which is hand- delivered, mailed, or faxed to the testing facility; NOTE: No signature is required on orders for clinical diagnostic tests paid on the basis of the clinical laboratory fee schedule, the physician fee schedule, or for physician pathology services;

    A telephone call by the treating physician/practitioner or his/her office to the testing facility; and

    An electronic mail by the treating physician/practitioner or his/her office to the testing facility.

    If the order is communicated via telephone, both the treating physician/practitioner or his/her office, and the testing facility must document the telephone call in their respective copies of the beneficiary‟s medical records. While a physician order is not required to be signed, the physician must clearly document, in the medical record, his or her intent that the test be performed. 




    Wayne K. Baldwin
    (805) 402-1936






    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Orders

    Posted 10-21-2022 10:40
    Is the location an IDTF? If so the order needs to be in writing. See page 10 of this document for reference: MLN909060

    "All IDTF-performed procedures must be specifically ordered in writing by the physician or practitioner who is treating the patient, that's, the physician who's furnishing a consultation or treating a patient for a specific medical problem and who uses the results in the management of the patient's specific medical problem. "

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    Matt Keane
    Administrator
    Big Sky Diagnostic Imaging
    Billings, MT
    406-237-5525
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    Original Message


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