AMA CPT® Assistant - 2020 Issue 12 (December)
Frequently Asked Questions (December 2020)
December 2020 page 11 Frequently Asked Questions Evaluation and Management (E/M): Office or Other Outpatient Services Question: With the deletion of code 99201 in the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) 2021 code set, does this mean that services less than 15 minutes can no longer be reported for new patients? Answer: For CPT 2021, E/M services of 15 minutes or less for new patients should be reported using E/M office or other outpatient code 99202, which is selected based on the level of medical decision making (MDM) involved in the encounter. Question: In 2021, what criteria will be used...
Subscribe or sign in to view the full article.
Article Overview
This FAQ article summarizes coding guidance updates and clarifications published by CPT Assistant for December 2020. It is relevant to coders, billers, and clinical documentation staff who need a high-level view of office and outpatient E/M changes, prolonged services reporting, and selected surgical coding topics involving integumentary, musculoskeletal, respiratory, and hemic/lymphatic procedures. The article discusses general categories of guidance, including code selection concepts, reporting boundaries, and related modifier considerations.
Why This Topic Matters
The article helps readers determine whether the premium FAQ content addresses their coding questions before they access the full guidance. It is especially useful for practices tracking CPT 2021 changes and for teams reviewing specialty-specific reporting issues across several procedure categories.
Article Sections
-
Evaluation and Management (E/M): Office or Other Outpatient Services
Covers questions about office and other outpatient E/M reporting in the context of CPT 2021 changes. The section focuses on general code-selection concepts and the transition discussed in the FAQ.
-
E/M: Prolonged Services
Addresses reporting questions related to prolonged services time across encounters. The section summarizes the general topic of how prolonged-service reporting is framed in the FAQ.
-
Surgery: Integumentary System
Discusses a surgical coding question involving an integumentary procedure and related reporting considerations. The section addresses whether a separate reportable service is identified in the scenario.
-
Surgery: Musculoskeletal System
Covers a musculoskeletal surgery question involving orbital fracture treatment and related procedure reporting. The section focuses on how the FAQ frames the surgical scenario for coding review.
-
Surgery: Respiratory System
Reviews respiratory-system coding questions involving tracheostomy-related services and associated endoscopic verification. The section also includes discussion of related E/M and modifier considerations.
-
Surgery: Hemic and Lymphatic Systems
Addresses a hemic and lymphatic system question involving neck and lymph node dissection reporting. The section summarizes the broader coding topic and related modifier discussion.
What You Will Learn
- How the FAQ addresses selected CPT 2021 office and outpatient E/M topics
- What general issue the article raises about prolonged services reporting
- Which surgical specialties are covered in the FAQ
- What kinds of coding questions are addressed for tracheostomy-related services
- How the FAQ frames a neck and lymph node dissection reporting question
Who Should Read This
- Medical coders
- Coding auditors
- Billing staff
- Physician documentation teams
- Revenue cycle professionals
Codes Discussed
Code Ranges Discussed
Modifiers Discussed
Subscribe or sign in to view the full article.
Quick, Current, Complete - www.findacode.com
