Locum Tenens Billing That Keeps Revenue Flowing

Locum tenens billing has its own rulebook, and auditors know it well. Coverage by a substitute physician is billed under the regular physician’s NPI with the Q6 modifier, reciprocal billing arrangements use Q5, and both carry a strict 60-day continuous-coverage limit. Miss the modifier or blow past the day limit and the claims don’t just deny — they become audit findings.

RevPath bills locum and reciprocal coverage correctly and tracks the day counts so a temporary staffing gap never turns into a compliance problem or a cash-flow gap. When your regular provider is out, the revenue keeps flowing exactly as if they weren’t.

What we track:

• Q6 (locum tenens) and Q5 (reciprocal billing) modifiers applied correctly
• The 60-day continuous-coverage limit monitored and flagged before it’s hit
• Billing under the correct regular-physician NPI
• Documentation of the coverage arrangement kept audit-ready
• Clean handoff back to the regular provider’s billing when coverage ends

This is essential for solo physicians and small groups where one provider being out means the whole revenue stream is at risk. It pairs with dependable A/R follow-up so coverage-period claims are worked like any other.

Locum billing done right is invisible — the practice bills normally through the coverage period. Done wrong, it’s one of the most common triggers for a payer audit.