ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

Question: A patient reports to the ED with shortness of breath and requires intubation to protect his airway. The physician orders x-rays, labs and an electrocardiogram (EKG). He discusses the case with another physician, and they decide to admit the patient, who is diagnosed withrespiratory failure. The ED physician frequently checks on the status of the patient and writes admit orders. Total session time is 42 minutes. How should I report this encounter?North Dakota SubscriberAnswer: This resembles a critical care scenario, though you'll need to double check to be sure that the physician provided at least 30 minutes of critical care to the critically ill or injured patient.So if the total critical care time was at least 30 minutes, you should report the following:31500 (Intubation, endotracheal, emergency procedure) for the intubation99291 (Critical care, evaluation and management of the critically ill or critically injured patient; first 30- 74 minutes ...) for [...]