Billing and Record-Keeping for Familial Cancer Risk Counseling: A National Survey.

Area of Science:

• Medical Genetics
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Cancer risk counseling (CRC) is an expanding field.
• Understanding current practices is essential for service improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To document the billing and record-keeping practices of genetic counselors involved in CRC.
• To identify areas for improvement in clinical documentation and billing.

Main Methods:

• Survey of 111 genetic counselors providing CRC.
• Follow-up interviews with 28 counselors regarding billing practices.
• Analysis of documentation in patient medical records.

Main Results:

• Most billing is done under supervising physicians with variable charges.
• CPT and ICD-9 codes are commonly used for billing.
• Incomplete documentation of genetic testing decisions and results is prevalent.
• Some clinical information is frequently excluded from patient records.

Conclusions:

• There is significant variability in billing and record-keeping for CRC.
• Inconsistent documentation of key genetic testing information requires attention.
• Further research is needed on CRC visit components, time, outcomes, and reimbursement.