Which statement best defines a medical consultation for billing purposes?

• A. A routine checkup
• B. A service performed by a nurse
• C. A hospital discharge evaluation
• D. A physician's opinion or advice requested by another physician or agency

Answer: (D)

The key idea here is what constitutes a medical consultation for billing: it’s when a physician provides an opinion or advice that is requested by another physician or by a health care agency about a patient’s condition. That requested expert input is what differentiates a consultation from other types of encounters.

So the statement that describes a physician’s opinion or advice requested by another physician or agency best defines a medical consultation for billing. It’s not a routine checkup (preventive care), not a service performed by a nurse (nursing care), and not a hospital discharge evaluation (part of discharge planning). In billing terms, the consultation occurs specifically because one clinician or entity asks for another physician’s expert input on the patient.