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Extended ER Services

K

Kristene

Contributor
Messages
17
Location
Cloquet, MN
Would like to get some feedback on what different facilities are doing with patients who need extended emergency room services. Is there a potential charge for this extended time? Or do you use Observation code?

Appreciate any feedback for this situation!
Kris
 
Extended services

Kris,

Prolonged service codes would make the most sense but unfortunately do not apply to ED POS. the Teasoning behind it which I always found odd was that since ED codes have no time component you can't have an add on code with a time component. Observation codes are an option but the documentation must support admission to observation. simply being in the ED a long time doesn't establish medical necessity for Obs codes. The other option is the 99284/5 which have no time component but sometimes involve fairly lengthy treatments. And CC is the patient is very sick and time is documented. And if patients are in the ED a long time due to admission bottlenecks that is a patient flow problem not a coding issue

Jim
 
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