E/M Services

For many practices, E/M services are what you do the most. Knowing what type of service to bill, what level of service and the rules related to the visit will decrease denials and payment delays. Here you'll find an overview, MDM and rule changes, resources organized just like your CPT book, and a bonus section with E/M frequency data.

E&M: Key up the Focus to Complexity and Risk

Recorded February 15. 2024

Guest Presenter Shannon O. DeConda, CPC, CEMC, CEMA, CPMA, CRTT

Prior to the new E&M guidelines, AMA CPT did not reference medical necessity. The Claims Process Manual was our main point of reference for the statement Medical necessity is the overarching determining factor. While 2021 Documentation Guidelines uses 2 key components of time and MDM, the guidelines came armed with references of medical necessity littered throughout inferring that maybe it’s NOT always just 2 of the 3 key components.

E/M Frequency Data for Hospitalists

Hospitalists became a recognized specialty by CMS starting in 2017, and we now have frequency E/M data for the specialty. There are probably still physicians who have not switched their specialty designation. Physicians self-elect their specialty designation with Medicare and other payers. Many hospitalists are family medicine or internal medicine physicians by training, working as […]

E/M Frequency Data for Surgical Specialties

CMS releases E/M frequency data annually. A physician self-elects their specialty designation when enrolling with Medicare. Unfortunately, there aren’t specialty designations for breast, bariatrics, or trauma surgery, and those surgeons are usually enrolled using the category for general surgery. There are specialty designations for vascular surgery, plastic surgery, thoracic, and surgical oncology. The data below […]

E/M Frequency Data for Infectious Disease, Pulmonary Medicine and Cardiology

CMS releases E/M frequency data annually. A physician self-elects their specialty designation when enrolling with Medicare. Infectious disease, pulmonary medicine and cardiology are all specialties with active inpatient services, and of course, busy office services. That’s why I’ve elected to show them together. The data below is from 2023, released in late 2024. Office services […]

E/M Frequency Data for Psychiatrists

CMS releases E/M frequency data annually. A physician self-elects their specialty designation when enrolling with Medicare. This is the data for psychiatrists. The data below is from 2023 released in late 2024. Office services Psychiatry New OV 2023 99201* 0% 99202 0.59% 99203 6.82% 99204 40.09% 99205 52.50% Established office visits 2023 99211 0.83% 99212 […]

E/M Frequency Data for Family Medicine and Internal Medicine

CMS releases E/M frequency data annually. A physician self-elects their specialty designation when enrolling with Medicare. The panel for family medicine physicians includes children, but the data below is Medicare data, for disabled patients of any age and people 65 and older. I opted to show internal medicine and family medicine together, because both are […]

Multiple E/M Services in the Same Calendar Day

The AMA has added a new subsection in the 2024 E/M section addressing how to report E/M services when there are multiple encounters in the same day. (Pages 6 and 7) According to CPT Changes 2024 An Insider’s View, the reason for this was to provide clarification for when multiple E/M services were performed on […]

E/M Services: High Volume, High Risk | Webinar

Recorded October 19, 2023

According to CMS, E/M services comprise 40% of allowed charges in the physician fee schedule, 20% office visits and 20% other E/M services. Medicare’s expense is medical practice revenue, with the income from some primary care practices comprising 70% or more of total charges. To protect the organization, compliance professionals can focus on four components of E/M:

A Conversation with Two Auditors: Lessons Learned about MDM | Webinar

Recorded September 28, 2023

Medical practices can prepare for audits, improve documentation and decrease compliance risk by sharpening their focus on high-risk areas, high volume services, and/or identifying confusing areas of MDM and developing and following consistent guidelines from appropriate resources. Join Pam D’Apuzzo, CPC, ACS-EM, ACS-MS, CPMA and Debra Rossi, CCS, CCS-P, CPC, CPMA of VMG Health and me for a lively and informative discussion.

Coding for Hospital Services | Webinar

Recorded April 20, 2023

First, CPT® updated their E/M code set. Then, CMS interpreted the updates and applied their own reimbursement rules to the code set. This webinar will summarize CPT® rules and CMS’s February 2023 transmittal that addresses inpatient and observation billing by the admitting and consulting physicians, admission to inpatient status following observation care, and multiple visits in a single day. The webinar will discuss when coding instruction is the same for CPT® and CMS and when it varies.

Coding Guide – Critical Care Services

The CPT® coding rules and the CMS reimbursement rules can be confusing. This guide explains the CPT® coding rules and the CMS reimbursement rules in one place.

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 […]

Clinical Staff Time

Question: I believe that I know the answer to this question but am hoping you know the source, as I can’t find it—if a nurse helps with ROS, medication reconciliation, etc., would their time (if documented) be able to be included in the time for the visit? Answer: No. The answer to this question is […]

2023 E/M Guidelines for Hospital, Nursing Facility, Home and Residence Services | Webinar

Recorded September 22, 2022

As expected, the AMA has revised the definitions and guidelines for hospital and other E/M services, including ED visits, nursing facility services, home services, and domiciliary care codes. They extended the documentation framework in place for office visits to these codes. They also deleted twenty-five codes. Coding for prolonged care services gets…

When to Use Time to Select an E/M Service

Selecting a code for an E/M service can be done based on time or MDM (except ED visits which only use MDM) Time includes all time spent by the billing practitioner on the date of service, not just face-to-face time, and counseling does not need to dominate the visit, as it did in the 1995/1997 […]

E/M Office Visit Scenarios

It can be difficult to translate the E/M rules into patient scenarios. The guidelines seem great in theory, but how does a clinician use them and select the correct level of service? Here are ten examples. They represent the common visits in medical practices and health centers. EXAMPLE ONE 99202/99212 Patient presents at the urging […]

Coding Guide – E/M Services

Do you want to be ready for the E/M changes in 2023? Download this guide for an explanation of changes to E/M services: office, consultations, hospital, ED, nursing facility and home. There are specific changes related to these categories of codes described here. The guide will also discuss how to select the level of service based on either time or medical decision-making.

E/M Services – History and Exam

History and exam for E/M services “E/M Codes that have levels of services include a medically appropriate history and/or physical examination when performed. The nature and extent of the history and/or physical examination is determined by the treating physician or other qualified healthcare professional reporting the service. The care team may collect information and the […]

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) […]

Drug Therapy Requiring Intensive Monitoring for Toxicity

Question: When auditing MDM, is there a list of drugs that are considered “drug therapy requiring intensive monitoring for toxicity?” Answer: Not from the AMA. Here’s the definition: “Drug therapy requiring intensive monitoring for toxicity: A drug that requires intensive monitoring is a therapeutic agent that has the potential to cause serious morbidity or death. […]

Initial Hospital Service Codes and Established Patients

Question: We are having a disagreement in our coding department. Our cardiologist sees an inpatient at the hospital, but it’s a patient she knows from the office. Should she bill an initial hospital service code or a subsequent hospital service code when she sees this patient, who she knows and has seen many times? Answer: […]

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