E/M Billing Sequence

[ammontagano]

Does anybody have any documentation that states when you bill out an office visit with a knee injection, you have to list the E/M code first regardless of the RVU amounts? We have always billed in the order of highest RVU's down to lowest RVU's and now we are told that the E/M gets billed first, no matter what.

 

[rizeninme]

I would ask first, who is telling you this?

In my experience, procedures and E/M charges are considered separately, so whether it is first or last on the claim really does not matter. I have seen situations where the E/M was billed on a completely different claim, and on the same claim, in every number of positions like first, middle, last- really I have never seen a difference.

As far as documentation, I don't know of any- this is just my own experience. How about asking this person to show YOU documentation stating to always bill the E/M code first. I have never heard of that officially- it sounds like it may be this person's personal preference.