Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement - 2005 Issue 7
Reader Questions: Observation Status Is Outpatient
Subscribe or sign in to view the full article.
Article Overview
This article addresses a common coding question about patient status in observation and how that status affects whether outpatient or inpatient evaluation and management categories are relevant. It is intended for physicians, surgeons, and coding professionals who work with hospital-based E/M services and need guidance on the general handling of consults and subsequent admissions.
Why This Topic Matters
Correctly identifying the patient’s status at the time of service is important for selecting the appropriate evaluation and management category and avoiding misclassification between outpatient and inpatient hospital services.
Article Sections
-
Question
Introduces the coding scenario involving a consult for a patient in observation and a possible later hospital admission.
-
Answer
Explains the general coding perspective for observation status and discusses how the timing of the service relates to consultation and admission categories.
What You Will Learn
- How observation status is treated for hospital coding purposes
- How consultation timing affects the general choice between outpatient and inpatient E/M categories
- How a later hospital admission can affect the reporting context for the original consult
- What factors are considered when selecting a higher-level initial hospital service
Who Should Read This
- Physicians
- Surgeons
- Professional coders
- Hospital coding staff
- Billers
Codes Discussed
Code Ranges Discussed
Subscribe or sign in to view the full article.
Quick, Current, Complete - www.findacode.com