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: […]
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.
Emergency Department Visits
Definition Emergency department (ED) services are E/M services provided to patients in the Emergency Department. Explanation These services may be billed by any specialty physician, not just Emergency Department physicians. The physician does not need to be assigned to the ED. However, these codes may only be used in a hospital-based facility that is available […]
CPT® and CMS Rules for Critical Care | What’s the Difference?
CMS and CPT count critical care time differently. CMS issued a “technical correction” in the 2023 PFS Final Rule. They stated that it is their policy that add-on code 99292 can only be reported when critical care time is 104 minutes, not 74 minutes as stated in CPT®. CMS noted they stated this in the […]
Coding Guide – Newborn and Pediatrics
Neonatologists, pediatricians and family physicians who care for newborns and sick children in the hospital need to select the category of code that describes the condition of the patient. There are distinct categories of codes to describe each of these situations. There are also codes that describe services to patients who are in the process of being transferred to a higher acuity facility. This guide describes the codes to use in each situation.
Critical Care for General Surgery and Trauma Surgeons
Critical care provided as a stand alone service is based on the seriousness of the patient, the types of interventions, and time. Critical care provided by a surgeon to a patient in a global period for procedures with a 10 or 90 day global period, must also follow the rules for critical care, with the […]
Non Face-to-Face Prolonged Service – 99358
There are two time-based CPT codes for non-face-to-face prolonged care services. These codes may not be used on the day of an Evaluation and Management (E/M) service, such as an office visit or hospital service. Physicians and other qualified health care professionals who have E/M in their scope of practice may use these codes. CMS […]