A limited consultation requires all of the components expected of a full consultation for that specialty but is less demanding and normally requires substantially less of the medical practitioner’s time than a full consultation.
It is expected that the limited consultation, when medically necessary and specifically requested, will be billed as part of continuing care, and that a full consultation is not billed simply because of the passage of time.
A new and unrelated diagnosis can be billed as a full consultation without regard to the passage of time since the consultant has last billed any visit or service for the patient.