2021 E/M Office guidelines: Prepare for 3 types of E/M update compliance challenges

Why This Topic Matters

The 2021 E/M office update changes established office-visit coding workflows and can create audit, documentation, and training risks if practices rely on older patterns or incomplete documentation. Understanding the article’s scope can help teams assess whether they need guidance on implementation, compliance planning, and staff education.

Article Sections

1. General risks

   Introduces broad compliance concerns tied to the transition to the updated E/M office visit framework. Covers training, software, coding workflow, and claim-management risks at a high level.

2. MDM-based coding

   Summarizes issues associated with medical decision-making-based office visit coding under the revised guidelines. Focuses on documentation concepts, definitions, and common areas where staff may need additional education.

3. Time-based coding

   Summarizes issues associated with time-based office visit coding under the revised guidelines. Addresses general concerns related to how time is tracked, documented, and reviewed in practice workflows.