“Incident to” billing is a practice that allows non-physician providers to bill for services as “incident to” physician services — or “as if” the physician provided the service — using a physician’s unique identification number. By utilizing this practice, non-physician providers can collect higher reimbursement rates. While “incident to” billing is specific to Medicare, other commercial payers have adopted similar policies. This explainer provides an overview of “incident to” billing and current policy considerations around its use.
