# L&D visit at hospital



## kellysarg21 (May 23, 2008)

I need help with deciding how to correctly code for Labor and Delivery visits.  If a patient is told to come to L&D to rule out labor stays for 3 hours and is then sent home after monitoring, how would you code this visit?  Is it considered an observation or an E/M?  Also....  if you can describe what constitutes and observation.  Thanks in advance for any help you have.


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## heatherwinters (May 23, 2008)

*labor and delivery*

Here is a link to check out
http://www.aafp.org/fpm/20060900/coding.html


OB care after hours
  		  Q When I'm on 			 call, I see walk-in obstetrical patients beyond 20 weeks gestation who come to 			 the labor and delivery department after hours. Should this type of visit be 			 coded as an emergency department visit (99282-99285) with the appropriate 			 modifier, or is there a more accurate code? Also, if a fetal non-stress test is 			 performed, can it be billed in addition to the visit?
  		  A While CPT 			 states that antepartum care includes up to 13 visits, labor checks are usually 			 not separately reimbursed from the global period associated with OB care. If 			 you are covering for another physician, the global period applies as it would 			 for your own patient. However, if you provide face-to-face services for 			 complications or preterm labor and the patient does not deliver, you should 			 bill the appropriate evaluation and management (E/M) code. It is important to 			 note whether the patient's status is observation, inpatient or outpatient. 			 Emergency services codes are used only when the patient is seen in the 			 emergency department. You can report 59025 with modifier -26 for the fetal 			 non-stress test.


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