Sweeping E/M code, documentation changes emerge ahead of 2021 ready date

Why This Topic Matters

Office and outpatient E/M services are widely reported and financially significant. Understanding the direction of the 2021 documentation and code-structure updates helps practices prepare for workflow, documentation, and reporting changes.

Article Sections

1. Coding

   Introduces the scope of the upcoming office and outpatient E/M changes and summarizes the source of the updated guidance.

2. Understand time-based reporting

   Explains the shift toward time-based reporting for office and outpatient encounters and discusses the categories of same-day work that may be considered under the guidance.

3. Map out MDM

   Reviews the updated medical decision-making framework and describes how the revised structure is organized for office and outpatient E/M selection.