ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

Question: A patient reports to the ED with a laceration just above his right eyebrow; he reports that he fell and hit his head while skateboarding. During an expanded problem focused history and examination, the patient reports that he was knocked to the ground, but reports no loss of consciousness. The nonphysician practitioner (NPP) notes that the patient "does not reveal any concussive symptoms." Using butterfly strips, the physician closes the patient's 0.8 cm laceration, prescribes rest and Tylenol, and instructs the patient to follow up with his primary care physician (PCP) if the wound gets worse or he begins to experience any lingering pain in his head or neck. Is the wound closure separately reportable for this encounter? Answer: You cannot report a separate wound repair code for this encounter. On the claim, report the following: The appropriate-level E/M code to represent the entire encounter, such as 99283 (Emergency [...]