2023 Emergency Care Physician Changes

Why This Topic Matters

Emergency department E/M coding depends on accurate visit-level selection and documentation, and changes to CPT guidance can affect reporting consistency, compliance, and audit risk. Understanding the scope of these updates helps coding professionals and providers align documentation with the emergency care setting.

Article Sections

1. Overview of 2023 emergency care changes

   Introduces the year’s CPT E/M updates and places emergency care physician services in the broader context of evaluation and management coding.

2. Emergency department visit levels and general characteristics

   Describes the emergency room setting, the distinction from office-based visits, and the general visit-level structure used for emergency care services.

3. Visit level summaries for 99281 through 99285

   Presents the emergency department visit levels in order, along with broad clinical complexity themes and general example categories associated with each level.

4. Documentation and compliance considerations

   Discusses the importance of accurate encounter documentation and the compliance risks associated with overdocumentation or underdocumentation.