If multiple physicians with different specialties meet with a patient concurrently to discuss the patient's complex medical care in a setting such as maternal fetal medicine, can each physician bill an E&M visit based on the total time of the visit, even if the times for both providers overlap? For example, assume both a cardiologist and neonatologist meet with the patient to discuss the patient's care from 0900-0935. Can each physician bill 99214 (30-39 minutes) using time as the method to determine the E/M level, using the same 35 minutes that both participated in the combined visit? ...
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Article Overview
This article explains a coding question about concurrent care when multiple physicians of different specialties see the same patient at the same time and time-based E/M reporting is being considered. It summarizes guidance referenced from CPT Assistant and AMA CPT coding reference material, and it is relevant to coders, physicians, and billing staff who work with coordinated care, specialty consults, and documentation of time-based services.
Why This Topic Matters
Concurrent care situations can affect how providers document and report E/M services when multiple clinicians participate in the same encounter. Understanding the referenced CPT and ICD-10-CM guidance helps avoid inconsistent reporting in multi-specialty care settings.
What You Will Learn
- How concurrent care is discussed in relation to time-based E/M reporting
- What broad guidance is referenced from CPT Assistant and AMA CPT coding resources
- How ICD-10-CM diagnosis reporting is tied to concurrent care documentation in the referenced material
- Why coordinated multi-physician encounters require careful attention to reported time and diagnosis support
Who Should Read This
- Medical coders
- Billing staff
- Physicians
- Practice managers
- Compliance staff
Codes Discussed
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