General Surgery Coding Alert
Reader Questions:
Charge Outpatient Consult for Observation
Published on Wed Mar 09, 2005
Question: Another doctor asked my surgeon for a consult with a patient who had been admitted for an observation stay. Should I use 99218-99220? Answer: Because your surgeon is involved with the patient in a consultative capacity, you should report his services with the appropriate outpatient consultation code (99241-99245).
New Hampshire Subscriber
If your doctor admits the patient to the hospital, however, you should more accurately report his service with the applicable hospital admission code (99221-99223).
Only one physician can bill the observation admit codes (99218-99220, Initial observation care, per day ...) per observation stay.
Other Articles in this issue of
General Surgery Coding Alert
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Postsurgery control of bleeding may call for its own code When reporting tonsillectomy, you must [...] - News You Can Use:
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Add Your Way to Easy Tonsillectomy/Adenoidectomy Coding
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Can You Discharge a Dead Patient?
Question: Can our surgeon file a claim for pronouncing a patient dead? This sometimes requires [...] - Don't Forget the -57 Option for Same-Day E/M Services
Stick with -25 for evaluations with less-intensive services If your general surgeon provides an evaluation [...] - Correction:
Separate Wounds Call for Separate Codes
The February 2005 edition of General Surgery Coding Alert contained an error on page 12 [...] - Reader Questions:
Appeal Rejected Claim With 140-cm 'Limb'
Questions: Recently, the surgeon performed a gastroenterostomy (gastric bypass) with 140-cm limb. I submitted 43846, [...] - Reader Questions:
Charge Outpatient Consult for Observation
Question: Another doctor asked my surgeon for a consult with a patient who had been [...] - Reader Questions:
Same Stay = Follow-up Consult
Question: Our surgeon was called for an inpatient consult with an auto vehicle accident patient. [...] - Reader Questions:
Packing Doesn't Guarantee Complex I&D
Question: Would you clarify the difference between a simple and complex incision and drainage (10060 [...] - Reader Questions:
Co-Surgery Status Depends on Documentation
Question: Our surgeon performed the bilateral pelvic lymph node dissection and omentectomy during a total [...] - Reader Questions:
Avoid 10120 for Exploration Without Removal
Question: What should we do if the surgeon explores a wound for foreign-body removal but [...]
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