Pathology Services Performed upon Admit or Discharge

Laboratory and Radiology: Adjustment to Medicare System Common Working File (CWF) Duplicate Claim Edit for the Technical Component (TC) of Radiology and Pathology Laboratory Services Provided to Hospital Patients

Claims with dates of service on or after April 1, 2007, will be paid that provide radiology and pathology services to Medicare beneficiaries on the day of admission and the day of discharge during an inpatient hospital stay. Also, the TC of physician pathology services provided to a hospital inpatient may be billed only by the admitting hospital. Independent laboratories have been instructed that they may not bill for these services after December 31, 2007 per CR 5468 (Transmittal 1148, issued Jan 5, 2007). The exception is that imaging and pathology services performed on the admission date and discharge date by entities other than the admitting hospital are separately payable.