If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ & read the forum rules. To view all forums, post or create a new thread, you must be an AAPC Member. If you are a member and have already registered for member area and forum access, you can log in by clicking here. If you've forgotten your username or password use our password reminder tool. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below..
If a patient comes into the office for a test such as an echocardiogram and starts having issues with their blood pressure and a nurse is called in to deal with the new problem can we bill a 99211 with a modifier 25 and for the echo as well?
The E/M visit and modifier would be supported if the problem was unrelated to the test, but keep in mind that nurse visits have to be 'incident to' a physician's service. You describe this as a 'new problem' which is outside the scope of 'incident to' services - usually the physician would have to have seen the patient first for any new problem. But if the blood pressure problem is already under a plan of care of the physician and the nurse is just implementing that plan of care, then the 99211 could be appropriate.