ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

Separate E/M almost a give for anterior ED repairs.Patients reporting to the ED for treatment of an anterior nosebleed pose a challenge for the coder, who might choose an E/M code ... or a procedure code ... or both.If you miss an opportunity to report an E/M code and a procedure code, it could cost your ED deserved reimbursement. Here's the lowdown on the best practices for IDing treatment types on your anterior nosebleed treatments.Convert Conventional Stops to E/M Code OnlyIf a patient reports to the physician with a nosebleed and the provider stops the bleeding with very simplified methods, you should choose an E/M code for the entire encounter, confirms Jeffrey Linzer Sr., MD, FAAP, FACEP, Associate Medical Director for Compliance, Emergency Pediatric Group, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston.This means you have to be on guard for nosebleed treatments that don't qualify as separately reportable nosebleed (epistaxis) services, [...]