AMA CPT® Assistant - 2023 Issue 5 (May)
Questions and Answers (May 2023)
May 2023 page 23 Questions and Answers Evaluation and Management (E/M): Hospital Inpatient and Observation Care Services Question: If an admitting physician requests a consultation from an infectious disease consultant for a hospitalized patient after the admitting physician does the initial admit (99221-99223), what code would the infectious disease consultant report for their first visit? Would it be a code(s) from 99221-99223 (initial hospital inpatient or observation care), 99252-99255 (inpatient or observation consultation), or 99231-99233 (subsequent hospital inpatient or observation care)? Answer: For this scenario, the infectious disease consultant would report either the appropriate initial hospital inpatient or observation...
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Article Overview
This article compiles multiple coding questions and answers from May 2023, spanning hospital inpatient and observation E/M, emergency department E/M, neonatal and pediatric critical care, selected surgical procedures, and diagnostic ultrasound reporting. It is useful for coders, billers, and compliance staff who need a high-level view of the topics discussed and the code families referenced in the issue.
Why This Topic Matters
The article helps readers quickly identify whether the issue addresses a coding scenario they need to research further, especially when working across inpatient, emergency, surgical, and imaging services. It also surfaces the code sets and common modifiers discussed in the Q&A format.
Article Sections
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Evaluation and Management (E/M): Hospital Inpatient and Observation Care Services
Questions and answers about hospital inpatient and observation care billing scenarios, including consultant and subsequent-visit reporting considerations.
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E/M: Emergency Department (ED) Services
A question-and-answer discussion focused on emergency department reporting in a triage-only encounter scenario under current E/M guidance.
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E/M: Inpatient Neonatal and Pediatric Critical Care
A question-and-answer discussion addressing shared service reporting for per-day critical care services in neonatal and pediatric settings.
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Surgery: Integumentary System
Questions and answers covering breast reconstruction revision, implant-related procedures, lesion excision, repairs, and postoperative suture removal topics.
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Surgery: Musculoskeletal System
A question-and-answer item concerning biopsy reporting for bone and soft tissue in the musculoskeletal system.
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Surgery: Digestive System
Questions and answers about endoscopic evaluation and treatment of upper gastrointestinal findings in the digestive system section.
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Surgery: Urinary System
A question-and-answer item addressing urinary system surgery reporting when cystectomy and conduit procedures are performed together.
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Surgery: Nervous System
A question-and-answer item about thoracic paravertebral block reporting and related bilateral procedure notation.
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Radiology: Diagnostic Ultrasound
A question-and-answer item covering transvaginal ultrasound documentation and reporting requirements in diagnostic ultrasound.
What You Will Learn
- Which broad E/M service categories are discussed in the issue
- Which surgical specialty areas are addressed in the Q&A format
- Which radiology reporting topic is covered for transvaginal ultrasound
- Which code sets and modifiers are referenced across the article
- Which kinds of coding questions were raised in May 2023
Who Should Read This
- Medical coders
- Coding auditors
- Billing staff
- Compliance personnel
- Physician practices
- Hospital coding teams
Codes Discussed
Code Ranges Discussed
Modifiers Discussed
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