First, CMS stopped recognizing consult codes in 2010. Outpatient consultations (99241—99245) and inpatient consultations (99251—99255) were still active CPT® codes, and depending on where you are in the country, are recognized by a payer two, or many payers. In 2023, codes 99241 and 99251 are deleted. These two low level consult codes were rarely used. […]
Codes for Visits in Assisted Living
Question: In 2023, how will we code for visits in assisted living? Answer: January 1st 2023, the codes for boarding home, rest home and domiciliary care are gone from the CPT® book. What are the codes for visits in assisted living in 2023 and beyond? Home and residence services (99341—99345 for new patients) and (99347—99350 […]
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 […]
New Versus established Patient Visits
There are other articles on CodingIntel about the difference between new and established patients, and the rules haven’t changed, but that doesn’t mean it is always clear. Medicare definition “Interpret the phrase “new patient” to mean a patient who has not received any professional services, i.e., E/M service or other face-to-face service (e.g., surgical procedure) […]