Question

During a single treatment session you spend 5 minutes performing ultrasound and 20 minutes providing therapeutic exercises. How many total units can you bill for these services?

Answer 1

For a treatment session lasting 25 minutes, with 5 minutes for ultrasound and 20 minutes for therapeutic exercises, one can bill for two units in total according to the 8-Minute Rule, which allows one unit for every 15 minutes of direct treatment.

Step-by-step explanation:

When billing for ultrasound and therapeutic exercises in a treatment session, it's important to consider the coding guidelines that apply to the units of service you are able to bill. While these guidelines can vary by insurer and region, a common standard in many places is the 8-Minute Rule for timed services in physical therapy settings, where one unit of service is typically billed for every 15 minutes of direct treatment. Since you spent 5 minutes on ultrasound and 20 minutes on therapeutic exercises, this amounts to 25 minutes in total. According to the 8-Minute Rule, you can bill for one unit after 8 minutes of service and additional units for each subsequent 15 minutes. Therefore, with a total of 25 minutes spent on direct treatment, you may bill for two units in total; one for the first 15 minutes (which covers both the ultrasound and part of the therapeutic exercise time) and one more for the additional 10 minutes of therapeutic exercises.