CodingIntel

Medical coding resources for physicians and their staff. CodingIntel was founded by consultant and coding expert Betsy Nicoletti.

Category of Code

This article is from the Category of Code section in our Everyday  Coding book. It provides definitions and tips for determining whether an office encounter is a new patient, established patient, or consult, and guidelines for reporting inpatient, observation, and emergency services. Quick reference charts and key points will help you to quickly and accurately select the category of code.

Start with this brief overview of new patients, established patients and consults. Code 99201 was deleted in 2021 and 99241 was deleted in 2023.

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- Betsy Nicoletti
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CPT®️️ is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association. Copyright American Medical Association. All rights reserved.

Our mission is to provide up-to-date, simplified, citation driven resources that empower our members to gain confidence and authority in their coding role.

In 1988, CodingIntel.com founder Betsy Nicoletti started a Medical Services Organization for a rural hospital, supporting physician practice. She has been a self-employed consultant since 1998. She estimates that in the last 20 years her audience members number over 28,400 at in person events and webinars. She has had 2,500 meetings with clinical providers and reviewed over 43,000 medical notes. She knows what questions need answers and developed this resource to answer those questions.