Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement - 2013 Issue 12
CPT® 2014: 99446-99449: New E/M Codes Capture Doc Discussions
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Article Overview
This premium article reviews a 2014 CPT update affecting interprofessional physician-to-physician consultation services. It is aimed at coding professionals and medical practices that need to understand the scope of the new evaluation and management guidance, including who the service is for, the documentation theme, and the payer-coverage questions raised by the change. The article places the update in the context of physician communication via phone or internet and notes the importance of follow-up on Medicare payment policy.
Why This Topic Matters
The article matters because it highlights a new CPT development that may affect how physician consultations are reported and whether certain interprofessional discussions are reimbursable under different payers. It is relevant for practices tracking evaluation and management coding changes and payer policy updates.
Article Sections
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New 2014 interprofessional consultation codes
Introduces the new CPT 2014 service category for physician-to-physician communication and explains the general type of interaction it addresses. The section frames the update within broader changes in electronic communication and consultation workflows.
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Check Who Reports and How
Discusses the reporting perspective for the service and the roles of the physicians involved. It also emphasizes the documentation theme associated with the service.
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Watch for Payment
Reviews the payer-coverage uncertainty surrounding the new codes and places the update in the context of prior consultation-payment policy changes. It notes that reimbursement questions remain tied to evolving fee schedule guidance.
What You Will Learn
- What type of physician-to-physician service the 2014 CPT update addresses
- Which broad reporting and documentation themes are associated with the new codes
- Why payer coverage, especially Medicare, is a key issue for this update
- How the article frames the change within evaluation and management coding guidance
Who Should Read This
- Medical coders
- Physician practice managers
- Compliance staff
- Billing personnel
- Primary care and specialty practices
Codes Discussed
Code Ranges Discussed
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