tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2006 Issue 1

READER QUESTIONS: Stick With 99218-99220 for 8 Hours or Fewer

Question: We have a long-standing argument in our office regarding the proper use of observation codes. Specifically, when should we report initial observation (99218-99220) with discharge (99217) versus observation or inpatient care (99234-99236)? What if the surgeon admits a patient to observation at 9 p.m. and releases her the next day at 1 a.m.?New York Subscriber Answer: Three main rules govern observation coding:1. You should report 99218-99220 with 99217 if the physician admits the patient to observation and releases her on a different date of service, unless the total duration of observation stay equals fewer than...

To read the full article, sign in and subscribe to tci General Surgery Coding Alert.


Leverage vital, to-the-point monthly guidance to boost your reporting accuracy and your coding know-how. We make it convenient for your team to stay informed, compliant, and profitable with a subscription to TCI’s General Surgery Coding Alert.

  • Current newsletters added each month
  • Fully searchable archives - over 2100 articles
  • ALL years/issues back to 1999 organized by year and issue
  • Codes mentioned in articles are linked to Code Information pages
  • Code Information pages link back to related articles
Access to this feature is available in the following products:
  • tci General Surgery Coding Alert +Archives

demo
request yours today
 subscribe
start today
 newsletter
free subscription

Thank you for choosing Find-A-Code, please Sign In to remove ads.