Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement - 2021 Issue 2
Reader Question: Check DOS for Late December/Early January E/M Visits
Subscribe or sign in to view the full article.
Article Overview
This reader question addresses a year-end office evaluation and management scenario for an established patient and explains why the date of service matters when selecting the appropriate code version. The article is useful for coders, billers, and auditors who work with office/outpatient E/M documentation, especially during annual code-set updates and policy transitions. It focuses on broad timing considerations and the general comparison of coding approaches before and after January 1.
Why This Topic Matters
Year-end E/M claims can be sensitive to code-set changes, and using the wrong year’s code version can affect claim accuracy and compliance. Understanding the timing issue helps staff apply the correct office/outpatient E/M framework during transition periods.
What You Will Learn
- Why the date of service matters for office/outpatient E/M coding near year-end
- How annual code changes can affect code selection for similar documentation
- How to recognize that a transition-period question may require different treatment depending on the service date
- How office/outpatient E/M documentation is discussed in the context of updated code descriptors
Who Should Read This
- Medical coders
- Billing specialists
- Coding auditors
- Revenue cycle staff
- Physician practice staff
Codes Discussed
Subscribe or sign in to view the full article.
Quick, Current, Complete - www.findacode.com