[Maula, RN]

I have an assignment called "cosing out nursing care". I need to find out how nursing can bill patients for nursing care and I know that in some ambulatory centers nursing does bill for its' services. I would like to know what you guys think about nursing billing for services as PT, OT, Respiratory therapy etc. does. What do nurses think? Are we capable of billing for our services-outpatient and inpatient? How would we go about billing and what would we bill for? Would HMOs and insurance companies pay for our services? Please give me you thoughts and suggestions on where I can find more information on this topic.

[BRobison]

Maula:
I realize this post is a late response to your original....how did the assignment go? Were you able to find out who/how, etc bills for nursing services?
I'm looking into that myself, and so far have only found that individual nurses can bill 3rd party payers only if they are ARNPs and therefore have a medicare provider number. I should think that FACILITIES can bill for nursing care, given the appropriate codes, etc.......
It's all kind of hard to figure out, though, I think. Hardest part is knowing where to direct the question!
good luck........

[Maula, RN]

It's all kind of hard to figure out

That's an understatement. First of all I got an A on the assignment. However what I discovered in doing this research was that nurses are quite unprepared academically to handle this undertaking. We have no political voice, no financial planning courses, and no unity. I think all these elements are required to truly develop a system of costing out nursing care. Afterall we (nurses) are the largest group in healthcare...but because we are so divided we may as well be alone. We are also a commodity to the facilities that we staff not a strain on their budgets. Let's face it we are the frontline. It is our care that will be remembered because we spend so much time with the patients.

This is definately a subject that requires alot of research. If you find anything out please keep me posted.

maula@iwon.com