Advanced Search

ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

Reader Questions:

Spot Extended HPI for Higher-Level E/Ms

Published on Wed Apr 20, 2011

Question:A teenager presents with intermittent right sided abdominal pain occurring at least three times per day mostly in the morning for the last week with associated nausea and vomiting. Both parents of the teenager have had their appendixes removed. The patient rates the current pain as eight out of 10, and says it is a sharp, stabbing pain unrelieved by Tylenol. The ED physician performs a physical examination, including a detailed examination of the gastrointestinal system and other related systems including, constitutional, cardiovascular, respiratory, and genitourinary. The physician cannot determine the etiology of the abdominal pain, so the patient is sent for stat labs and a computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen. The patient is then asked to follow up the next afternoon for the results. What level of history of present illness (HPI) is this?North Dakota SubscriberAnswer: Your physician performed an extended HPI, as he addressed all of [...]
You’ve reached your limit of free articles. Already a subscriber? Log in.
Not a subscriber? Subscribe today to continue reading this article. Plus, you’ll get:
  • Simple explanations of current healthcare regulations and payer programs
  • Real-world reporting scenarios solved by our expert coders
  • Industry news, such as MAC and RAC activities, the OIG Work Plan, and CERT reports
  • Instant access to every article ever published in your eNewsletter
  • 6 annual AAPC-approved CEUs*
  • The latest updates for CPT®, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS Level II, NCCI edits, modifiers, compliance, technology, practice management, and more
*CEUs available with select eNewsletters.

Other Articles in this issue of

ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

View All