Urology Coding Alert

Question: I heard there will be changes in 2012 to when we should report a new patient code and when we should report an established patient code? When an established patient comes in to see a different physician that he's never seen before, should I report a new patient office visit code? New York SubscriberAnswer: Currently, CPT® indicates that a "new patient" refers to a patient who has not received any professional services, such as an E/M or other face-to-face service, from the physician or physician group practice -- within the same physician specialty -- within the past three years.Clarification: CPT® 2012 takes that definition a step further, now stating, "A new patient is one who has not received any professional services from the physician or another physician of the exact same specialty and subspecialty who belongs to the same group practice, within the past three years." The portions of the description [...]