Query the Experts First on Low-Risk MDM
Question: The CPT® medical decision making (MDM) table provides examples under the moderate- and high-risk categories, but has no examples listed for low-risk. How do I know what low-risk examples are? HEALTHCON 2026 Attendee Answer: Low risk applies when treatment decisions carry minimal potential for patient morbidity, according to the panel of experts during the HEALTHCON 2026 E/M Panel: “Real-World Documentation & Coding,” Jaci Kipreos, president of Practice Integrity; Leslie Prellwitz, MBA, CCS, CCS-P, CPMA, director of CPT® Content Management & Development at the AMA; Raemarie Jimenez, CPC, CDEO, CIC, CPB, CPMA, CPPM, CCS, president of Membership & Content at AAPC; and Samuel Church, MD, MPH, CPC, CRC, FAAFP, core faculty family medicine residency at Northeast Georgia Health System and member of the CPT® Editorial Panel. “It really is how the clinician interpreted the risk of treatment for the patient,” said Prellwitz. Kipreos added: “You can query your practitioners, ‘What is low risk to you?’ ahead of time to get their opinions. It’s called medical decision making for a reason.” Lindsey Bush, BA, MA, CPC, Production Editor, AAPC 
