Key Billing Considerations for Toxicology Labs
By: Liset Sanchez, Client Manager, Lighthouse RCM Solutions
A recent publication from Palmetto GBA highlights the fact that laboratory services are among the top service types found to make the highest number of billing errors. They categorize those billing errors into five areas of concern, with over 80% of them directly related to the clinical decision-making documented in each patient’s medical record as opposed to improper coding.
Toxicology labs typically provide services to two main populations:
Substance Abuse
Pain Management
Strong clinical documentation supporting medical necessity is a critical factor influencing a lab’s profitability and sustainability in both situations. For Pain Management (Chronic Opioid Therapy – COT) patients, an additional component of the clinical documentation includes a Risk Assessment.
