tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2008 Issue 3

Reader Questions: Every Admission May Bring an Inpatient Consult

Question: My surgeon consulted with a patient for abdominal pain, and he diagnosed cholecystitis. The primary-care physician (PCP) discharged the patient with instructions to see our surgeon for scheduling outpatient surgery. The next week, the patient went back to the emergency department, and the PCP readmitted him and again requested that our surgeon provide a consultation for the same reason. May we report an inpatient consultation (99251-99255) again, or should we report subsequent care (99231-99233) because we have seen the patient previously for the same diagnosis? Kentucky Subscriber Answer: As long as the patient has been admitted for a...

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