Legal Tips
Provided by Carolyn Buppert, MSN, JD, ANP

Are employers obligated to give NPs information on the NP's billing statistics?

No. Some practices give NPs and physicians this information and some do not. An employer may want to know why an NP wants the information. One NP who asked a billing clerk for information how much the practice had billed for her work in the past quarter was later approached by her physician employer and asked whether she was dissatisfied with her salary. "No," said the NP, "I just wanted to see whether I am cost-effective." "You are cost-effective," said the employer. End of discussion.

When an NP is beginning yearly salary negotiations, it is effective for the NP to have either actual data on the NP's billings for the past year, or an estimate. NPs can estimate their billings if they know how many patients they saw for each CPT code and the charge for each CPT code.

NPs can keep this information in a notebook, in which they make daily entries.

Example: October 1, 1998:

  • 99203-1
  • 99211-3
  • 99213-7
  • 92201-1
  • 99212-5
  • 99214-3

Each month, total the visits in each category, multiply by the charge for that CPT code, and total.

At year's end, total the months for a good estimate of yearly billings.

Even if the practice supplies an NP with a quarterly billings figure, it is wise to check that number against one's own figures from time to time.

This tip is excerpted from The Green Sheet, a monthly newsletter on NP reimbursement and compensation from the Law Office of Carolyn Buppert. To receive The Green Sheet for the next 12 months, send your name, address and a check for $25 to The Green Sheet, Law Office of Carolyn Buppert, 1419 Forest Drive,Suite 205, Annapolis, MD 21403. A companion newsletter The Gold Sheet, keeps NPs up-to-date on quality issues, including malpractice avoidance and evaluation of clinical performance. The Gold Sheet is also $25/year.



Last updated:  October 5, 1998


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