Gastroenterology Coding Alert

Help your gastroenterologist grasp key elements to reduce repayments. Documentation errors or omissions plague even the best coder sooner or later. Take a peek at three typical areas you can improve upon, and watch some of those rejections disappear. Look for Nurse Visit's Medical Necessity Or Physician's Order Before you decide to report 99211 (Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient, that may not require the presence of a physician. Usually, the presenting problem[s] are minimal. Typically, 5 minutes are spent performing or supervising these services), make sure that the encounter was medically necessary. "Documentation should clearly indicate the supervising physician's involvement," said Bruce Rappoport, MD, CPC, CHCC, at The Coding Institute's Coding and Reimbursement Conference in Orlando, Fla. For instance, 99211 is not appropriate for a "patient who's in and out the door for a blood pressure check. Something else has to [...]