Final answer:
Dr. Smith should bill for three E/M prenatal visits individually, while Dr. Johnson should use a global billing code for all inclusive care that counts nine prenatal visits, the Cesarean section, and postpartum care.
Step-by-step explanation:
The billing scenario presented involves two physicians providing prenatal care, with a transfer of care during pregnancy. Dr. Smith, who provided initial care, would typically bill for each of the prenatal care visits individually, since the global billing code that includes all prenatal visits plus delivery and postpartum care cannot be used when the provider does not render all the prenatal care and deliver the baby. Dr. Johnson, who took over care and provided the Cesarean section (C-section) delivery and postpartum care, would bill using the global C-section code that includes all of her prenatal visits, delivery, and postpartum care. If an individual encounter needs to be billed due to the transfer of care, there are specific Evaluation and Management (E/M) codes used per visit instead.
The correct billing for Dr. Smith would be for three individual E/M prenatal visits, as he did not provide the full prenatal course and delivery. Dr. Johnson would use the global C-section billing code, which includes nine prenatal visits, delivery, and postpartum care. It is essential to note that the provided billing codes are hypothetical and may not represent actual current procedural terminology (CPT) codes.