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Pediatric Coding Alert

Sports Physicals:

These 5 Strategies Make Coding Sports Physicals A Home Run

Published on Wed Jan 19, 2011

Parents can choose covered annual or self-pay exam.Your pediatric practice probably gets calls all year-round from parents requesting sports physicals for their children. Although the physical may be fairly simple to perform, it isn't always straightforward to code. If you're at a loss for how to code a sports exam, consider these options that will put your CPT coding on the proper path while dodging nonpayment issues.Strategy 1: Perform Less and Code Office VisitWhen a pediatrician provides a true sports exam, CPT offers no direct match. Pediatricians may provide a shortened well-care visit, in which they assess the risks, perform an exam, and order vaccine and labs.Problem: The shortened well-case visit encounters do not necessarily include the counseling and anticipatory guidance components of a regular wellcare visit, says Richard Tuck, MD, FAAP, pediatrician at PrimeCare of Southeastern Ohio in Zanesville.You should not report a sports exam using 99384-99385 for new [...]
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