Understanding E/M: Coding prolonged service for two same-day visits

Article Overview

This premium article explains the general topic of prolonged service billing in evaluation and management cases where a patient is seen more than once on the same day by physicians in the same practice. It focuses on Medicare’s guidance for same-day services, the relationship between prolonged service reporting and higher-level E/M visits, and the documentation themes that support these claims. The content is useful for coders, auditors, and billing staff who want to understand the boundary between routine same-day care and prolonged service scenarios.