Medicine
Chapter 7
Section 3.14
Collateral Visits
Issue Date: December 5, 1984
Copyright: CPT
only © 2006 American Medical Association (or such other date of
publication of CPT).
All Rights Reserved.
Revision: C-1, March 10, 2017
1.0 CPT
PROCEDURE CODE
90887
2.0 DESCRIPTION
Interpretation or explanation of results of
psychiatric, other medical examinations and procedures, or other
accumulated data to family or other responsible persons, or advising
them how to assist patient.
3.0 POLICY
3.1 Collateral
visits that are medically or psychologically necessary for the treatment
of the patient are covered. It is not a therapy session, a treatment
planning session, or a discussion with the milieu staff. It is conducted
for the purpose of information gathering and implementing treatment
goals. A responsible person is generally a parent, the husband,
wife, or siblings. Other individuals also may qualify for collateral
visits for both the adult and the child or adolescent patient provided
it can be demonstrated that the individual is, in fact, a significant
person in the life of the identified patient.
3.2 A collateral
visit does not involve treatment of the collateral person(s). It
is for purposes of information exchange regarding the patient or
implementing treatment goals for the patient. Collateral visits
are considered as services rendered on behalf of the patient, are
billed in the name of the patient, and are counted as individual
psychotherapy sessions for purposes of utilization review. Duration
up to 60 minutes is allowed.
4.0 EXCLUSIONS
4.1 Group visits.
A group collateral visit is when the therapist meets with a group
of parents of the children he/she sees in group therapy. The focus
of the sessions is on improving parenting techniques and fostering
better implementation goals.
4.2 A collateral visit rendered
on the same day that the patient receives individual or group psychotherapy
is coverable. Collateral visits do not count toward crisis intervention
sessions.
5.0 EFFECTIVE
DATE
October 1, 1980.
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