The Record - for physicians and other health care providers to share with their office staffs Forward to a friend  |  Subscribe  |  The Record Archive  |  Contacts  |  bcbsm.com  |  Print this article

January 2015

Billing change for observation services

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is changing the reporting guidelines for observation services that were previously published in March 2013.

If a patient is admitted for observation from settings other than the emergency room, report Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System code G0379 with a quantity of “1,” and report G0378 for additional observation hours. Keep in mind that 48 hours is the maximum number of hours that are payable.

For more information, contact your provider consultant.

No portion of this publication may be copied without the express written permission of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, except that BCBSM participating health care providers may make copies for their personal use. In no event may any portion of this publication be copied or reprinted and used for commercial purposes by any party other than BCBSM.

*CPT codes, descriptions and two-digit numeric modifiers only are copyright 2014 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.