AMA CPT® Assistant - 2022 Issue 1 (January)
Frequently Asked Questions (January 2022)
January 2022 page 17 Frequently Asked Questions Evaluation and Management (E/M): Office or Other Outpatient Services Question: Would a statement included on every patient’s E/M encounter entry that the primary care physician (PCP) will be updated on patient care count toward medical decision making (MDM)? Answer: No, this statement does not count toward MDM because no physician work is being performed. Question: May an office visit be counted as an element of MDM when the physician or other qualified health care professional (QHP) performs a medically appropriate history, but does not perform an examination? Answer: The office or other...
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Article Overview
This article collects January 2022 coding questions and answers from CPT Assistant on evaluation and management, preventive medicine, and several surgical specialties. It is relevant to coders, auditors, and billing staff who need to understand how the guidance addresses encounter documentation, telehealth reporting, procedure selection, unlisted services, and postoperative modifier use in a general, non-case-specific way.
Why This Topic Matters
The article summarizes practical coding guidance across common clinical and surgical settings. It helps readers determine whether the full FAQ set is relevant to office visits, vaccine counseling, biopsy and release procedures, port placement, and plexus block reporting considerations.
Article Sections
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Evaluation and Management (E/M): Office or Other Outpatient Services
Questions and answers addressing office or other outpatient E/M topics, including documentation elements and selection of service level based on the visit context.
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E/M: Preventive Medicine Services
Guidance focused on preventive medicine coding in the context of vaccine counseling and telehealth-related reporting considerations.
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Surgery: Integumentary System
Coding questions related to skin and soft tissue procedures within the integumentary system specialty area.
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Surgery: Musculoskeletal System
A surgical coding scenario involving a hand or finger procedure and the use of an unlisted code.
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Surgery: Respiratory System
A respiratory-system coding question addressing an intranasal procedure, anatomic classification, and unlisted reporting.
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Surgery: Cardiovascular System
A postoperative scenario involving catheter and port placement, including modifier use during a global period.
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Surgery: Nervous System
A nervous-system coding question about plexus block reporting and the use of an unlisted procedure code when no specific code is available.
What You Will Learn
- How the article frames E/M documentation and service-level selection topics.
- How preventive medicine guidance is discussed for vaccine counseling encounters.
- How the FAQ addresses reporting issues across several surgical system categories.
- How telehealth and postoperative modifier topics are presented in a general coding guidance format.
Who Should Read This
- Medical coders
- Billing staff
- Compliance auditors
- Physician practices
- Health information management professionals
Codes Discussed
Code Ranges Discussed
Modifiers Discussed
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