In coding the professional portion for hospitalists we are having a discussion on how to determine the complexity of problems for a chest pain patient admitted to observation. Are all chest pain patients considered "acute illness that poses a threat to life or bodily function"? I have one physician that says this is the case. Logically, I get their thinking but I know that not all chest pain is cardiac related or life threatening. Once specific case the documentation stated the patient had a chest xray that showed no acute cardiopulmonary process and the note stated the patient's pain was better. However, the provider felt the patient needed to be admitted for obs due to sudden onset and family history. Does this qualify as life threatening and what do you look for in the documentation to back this up?
Thanks in advance for any feedback!
Thanks in advance for any feedback!