A claim reviewer asks, “How much time does it take a speech-language pathologist to do an evaluation that is captured under CPT code 92506?
This is a good question because 92506 is an untimed code, and speech-language evaluations can be short or extended. So, what is the typical time? CPT codes are used as the basis for payment according to the Medicare resource-based relative value scale, and each code has a practice expense value determined. Part of the process of finding a practice expense value for a procedure includes convening a consensus panel to determine components such as time, equipment, and supplies that are involved in performing that procedure for a “typical” patient. A panel of ASHA members reviewed 92506, and then the agreed upon time was presented to a panel of health care professionals. According to the CMS 2004 Practice Expense Inputs database, a typical time of 156 minutes, including pre-service (e.g., reviewing pertinent records) and post-service time (e.g., writing the report, making phone calls), was determined. Thus, clinicians should keep in mind that a little over 2 ½ hours is typical for a speec
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