I am asked all the time, "Dr 'Joe' will just be filling in for a short time, can we bill under our current insurance numbers?" Unfortunately, the answer is no. It is illegal for a doctor to bill for another doctor's services under his name and provider numbers. Even if the physician that is filling in will only be short term, it is necessary to credential them with all the insurance carriers. This can be a huge pain. We had a doctor that needed surgery and was going to be out for 4-6 weeks. They got another doctor to come in to see their patients during that time, but we had to credential that provider under the name and tax ID# of the practice that they were covering for. If a doctor just agrees to see your patients but at their own office, then they would just bill out their own claims, but if the doctor is going to be working out of your facility then you need to have them credentialed.
When a doctor is coming in to a practice temporarily, or for a trial period, you must also credential them with all the insurances. Even if you don't know that they will be staying with the practice permanently. This is necessary in order to bill properly. Most practices just bill for the temporary provider's services under one of the other physicians names, but this is not the correct way to do it.
So even if it is a pain, if you have a doctor that will be covering for you or joining you temporarily, start the paperwork as soon as possible!
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