Use of - Time - in Evaluation Management and Coding

Why This Topic Matters

Understanding the time-based E&M framework helps practices document visits consistently and support the reported level of service. The article also addresses practical workflow and documentation considerations that affect outpatient coding accuracy.

Article Sections

1. New time method for office and other outpatient E&M

   Introduces the updated time-based framework for selecting office and outpatient evaluation and management service levels. It explains the overall context for using time in this setting.

2. Activities included and excluded in time

   Summarizes broad categories of work that may be included in total visit time and activities that are not counted. The section focuses on the general scope of time-based reporting for outpatient E&M services.

3. Documentation of time

   Discusses how visit time documentation is presented and what general documentation practices are suggested. It also mentions payer-related guidance referenced in the article.

4. Split-shared visit guidance

   Describes the article’s discussion of split-shared visits in the office and other outpatient setting. It includes a high-level comparison to other visit contexts and notes how shared work is characterized.

5. Examples and documentation summary

   Provides illustrative visit scenarios and a summary of how segment-based documentation is described. This section also ties the discussion to medical necessity and level-of-service support.

6. Additional note on medical necessity and timetable

   Reinforces the article’s emphasis on documentation supporting medical necessity and mentions a timetable resource for 2021 outpatient services. It also includes source attribution and organizational context.