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Wiki Downcoding

dlinger63

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SAFFORD, AZ
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Is it normal or legal or ethical for a coder to downcode a physician's or APP's outpatient visit without consulting the provider?
 
This depends on the reasoning. If the provider bills a 99215, but the visit is clearly a 99214, then you would drop the level, because the visit doesn't meet criteria for 99215. However, if they document 50 minutes with the patient and the visit MDM supports a 99214, then you are okay to use the time as the deciding factor for a 99215 justification.
 
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