I know that FNSTs are not considered part of the global service, and I definitely code and bill for them when done in the office setting and when the physician reads the tracing/writes the report when the patient presents to L&D. However, I am uncertain when the woman actually presents to the hospital in labor, and the NST is done as part of the admission process. My understanding has always been that this service is part of the admission and the actual labor/delivery service, and not separately codable, much like the monitoring of the patient’s vital signs, etc. Am I wrong about this? If not, what documentation is required in order for me to justify this as a separately reportable service, outside of the admission?

Lisa