Ace the 2025 RHIA Reimbursement Exam – Unlock Your Healthcare Hero Potential!

The concept of "incident to" billing allows certain healthcare services to be billed under a physician's National Provider Identifier (NPI), which can potentially increase reimbursement rates. For these services to qualify, they must be provided under the direct supervision of a physician.

When it comes to services provided by nonphysician practitioners, such as nurse practitioners or physician assistants, they can indeed bill for services as "incident to" if they meet specific supervision criteria. This means that a physician must be present in the office and available to assist in the patient's treatment but does not need to be in the same room at all times.

This approach provides nonphysician practitioners with the ability to furnish care that is reimbursed at a higher rate, as long as the physician is adequately supervising the service. In this context, the term "direct supervision" implies more than mere oversight; the physician should be available to provide assistance and guidance during the service delivery.

In contrast, the other options represent services or situations that either do not require direct physician supervision for billing as "incident to" or fall outside of the criteria for "incident to" services. For instance, lab tests and emergency room visits can often be billed differently without needing to be strictly under a physician's direct