Visante 
Hospital pharmacies often carry and dispense dietary supplements and herbal products in order to maintain a patient on their home regimens.
Pharmacies may determine which dietary supplements and herbal products they carry based upon patient needs and internal policies, but they can’t be billed as a drug. What does that mean?
Just like medical devices, dietary supplements and herbal products may be supplied by the pharmacy, but it is important that they NOT be billed as a drug as only drugs and biologicals are billed with revenue codes 25x (250-259) and 63x (631-637).
It is important that these products NOT be set up in chargemasters under a 259 or 637 revenue code as these revenue codes are reserved for “self-administered drugs”. Since dietary supplements are not drugs, they can’t be billed as a self-administered drug and billed to a Medicare outpatient.
Typically, facilities choose one of two options for billing and coding of dietary supplements and herbal products:
-
Consider them as “supplies” and bill them with revenue code 27x, or
-
Consider them as “nutritional supplements” including the cost in other services such as room and board on inpatients or within procedure charges for outpatients. A separate charge is not generated for this option.
As we mentioned in our previous newsletter on medical devices, revenue codes are established by the National Uniform Billing Committee (NUBC) and they provide instructions on how they are to be used. All providers must follow the applicable rules from NUBC in billing for healthcare services.
How can I tell if a product is a dietary supplement?
There isn’t a comprehensive database like there is with drugs and the FDA NDC Directory. The easiest way is to look at the package (or Google an image) as these products must be clearly labelled as “dietary supplements”. Dietary supplements are prohibited from having an NDC number, so any 10- or 11-digit number on the package is for tracking only, and is not an NDC number.
SHOUT-OUTS!
1. Pharmacy and Chargemaster Managers should review chargemaster entries to ensure that dietary supplements and herbal products are not billed with “pharmacy” revenue codes (i.e. 259 or 637)
2. Pharmacy should confirm that the set-up process for a new product includes checking to see if the product is a prescription or O-T-C drug, a medical device, a dietary supplement, or an herbal product. Only drugs and biologicals can be billed with pharmacy revenue codes such as 25x and 63x.
3. Pharmacy and Finance should determine if the facility will bill separately for non-drug products under a supply revenue code, 27x, or if they will not be billed separately and the cost will be included in charges for room and board or other procedures. Dietary supplements and herbal products are not drugs, and therefore cannot be billed to the patient as a self-administered drug with revenue code 259 or 637.
Our goal is simple; we’re taking complex information and making it practical.
Until our next edition, this is Maxie Friemel and Agatha Nolen providing you with tips for increasing your Pharmacy Revenue.
