The New Evaluation and Management Codes - Focus on Medical Decision Making (Summer 1992)

Why This Topic Matters

Understanding the structure of E/M selection is important for accurate documentation review and code assignment, especially when physician documentation must support the level of service. This article helps readers interpret the CPT 1992 discussion of decision making within the broader E/M framework.

Article Sections

1. Summer 1992 pages 1-3

   Introduces the issue's focus on evaluation and management coding and points to related articles covering other E/M topics. It frames the discussion around medical decision making as a core part of service-level selection.

2. Medical decision making and the E/M framework

   Explains the general role of medical decision making within evaluation and management services and describes how the CPT 1992 discussion characterizes the concept. It also notes that the physician's documentation is central to identifying the type of decision making involved.

3. Decision-making levels and comparison table

   Presents the broad categories used to characterize decision-making complexity and shows how the component elements are compared. The section explains the structure of the decision-making table without giving code-specific selection details.

4. Examples of several types of decision making

   Uses sample scenarios to illustrate how the decision-making categories are discussed in the article. The examples are presented as part of the explanatory framework for evaluating complexity.

5. How decision making fits into code selection

   Describes the relationship between medical decision making and overall E/M code selection, including the interaction with other required components. It also discusses the way decision making may vary with patient condition and the encounter being coded.