Q&A: Capturing trauma activation charges

Q: How should we bill for trauma activation without pre-hospital notification and how should we capture charges for these services? Do we bundle the charge in with the facility evaluation and management (E/M) code?

A: I would suggest charging it the same way, just not under a 68x revenue code: one set of charges (alert, partial team, full team) under 68x and another identical set under 45x. At the claims stage, roll the 45x charges into your emergency department facility E/M line.

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