Advanced Search

ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

You Be the Coder:

Wound Repair Qualifies for Subsequent Hospital Care

Published on Tue Sep 20, 2011

Question: An emergency physician is called to the inpatient setting by a floor nurse to care for an 84-year-old woman who was found on the floor near her bed. She suffered a 1.5 cm cut above her right eye. After a problem focused H&P, he determines the fall was simply caused by her getting tripped up by the sheets in the bed rail as she was going to the bathroom. The patient appears flustered and embarrassed but does not appear to have any confusion or focal neurological problems. The physician examines her arm and wrist and determines it is not broken, but the cut requires a few sutures. He closes the wound with a simple repair and documents his services before returning to the ED. The entire encounter took about 20 minutes. How would you report this service?Answer: On the claim, you would report:99231 (Subsequent hospital care, per day, for [...]
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