ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

Question: A patient who had a chemical splashed in her eye came to the emergency department, and the nurse irrigated the patient's eye. Can we charge for removal of a foreign object from the eye?

Florida Subscriber
 
Answer: No. You should not report a foreign-body removal code, since the patient received an eyewash. FBRs (65205, Removal of foreign body, external eye; conjunctival superficial) require more work and time than a simple eyewash entails.
 
Try this: Report the appropriate-level evaluation and management code for the service.
 
Typically, the physician may prescribe a mild antibiotic for a few days, such as erythromycin ointment, if there has been significant irritation to the eye or facial area around the eye.
 
When the physician conducts an eyewash and manages a drug program for the patient during recovery, you would typically report 99283 (Emergency department visit for the evaluation and management of a patient, which requires these three key components: an expanded problem-focused history; an expanded problem-focused examination; and medical decision- making of moderate complexity).