Claiming phone calls on Alberta HLINK submissions | ClinicAid blog

Alberta physicians are able to claim phone calls with patients in their medical billing, as long as certain conditions are met.

Phone calls for the following patients may be claimed using the appropriate service codes found in the Schedule of Medical Benefits (SOMB):

• in-patients,
• LTC patients
• designated assisted living patients,
• assisted living patients,
• home care patients (must be in an AHS home care program),
• outpatient IV clinic patients,
• obstetrical outpatients,
• patients of Alberta community mental health care services.

Phone calls can only be claimed when speaking directly to the patient (cannot be claimed if speaking to a resident or ward physician). Other conditions apply to specific service codes which can be found in the SOMB. 

It's important to keep a log of your phone calls with proper documentation. Conversations with nursing staff and other physicians and health care providers should also be made note of as they are often not recorded in a patient's chart. Not all phone calls are billable however. Consult the SOMB for a full description of codes and the rules that apply to them.