Emergency Department Services (Summer 1995)

Why This Topic Matters

Emergency department encounters often involve multiple services, multiple physicians, and overlapping reporting considerations. This article helps readers understand the general CPT framework that affects how emergency care and related services are described and documented.

Article Sections

1. Summer 1995 pages 1-3

   A broad overview of emergency department coding topics covered in this issue. The section introduces the main areas of guidance discussed in the article.

2. Emergency Department Services

   General guidance on emergency department evaluation and management reporting and the scope of services discussed in CPT 1995. The section also frames the article’s focus on emergency care coding issues.

3. New and Established Patients

   Discussion of patient status concepts within emergency department evaluation and management services. The section explains how the topic is addressed in the emergency department setting.

4. Time in the Emergency Department

   Overview of how time is treated in emergency department evaluation and management reporting. The section addresses why time is not emphasized in the same way as in other settings.

5. Who Can Use These Codes

   Guidance on which physicians may report emergency department evaluation and management services. The section covers situations involving multiple physicians and overlapping care settings.

6. Coding Critical Care Services in the Emergency Department

   Discussion of critical care reporting in the emergency department and how it relates to other services provided during the encounter. The section also addresses related reporting concepts and included services.

7. Coding the Interpretation of Diagnostic Tests

   Guidance on reporting diagnostic test interpretation in the emergency department. The section also discusses documentation and circumstances involving review of test results by more than one physician.

8. Evaluation of a Fracture in the Emergency Department

   Overview of fracture-related reporting considerations in the emergency department. The section discusses how fracture care guidance is presented in CPT and how it relates to emergency department evaluation and management.

9. Special Services and Reports

   Discussion of special services reporting and the historical context of selected adjunctive codes. The section notes how these services are discussed in relation to specialty use and payer policies.