# Billing Office visit beyond 40 minutes



## akshar13 (Aug 25, 2014)

Hello!

If Physician spend more than 40 minutes (e.g. 55 minutes or 80 minutes), how will I bill additional time beyond 40 minutes. I bill 99215 which cover 40 minutes but I don't know which additional code I should bill to cover more than 40 minutes time spent face to face with patient. Please advise.

Thanks


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## mitchellde (Aug 25, 2014)

You should look at the prolonged time codes 99354-99355 and the rules.  The minimum amount of time that must be documented is for a 99215 plus a 99354 is 70 minutes, the minimum for a 99215 plus a 99354 and a 99355 is 115 minutes.  Also note that these can be appended to any visit level and are not restricted to a 99215 or 99205.  So if you have a 99213visit level that took 45 minutes you can bill the 99313 plus the 99354.  The Medicare manual has an entire section on these codes with a table of the visit levels and the minimum times.


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## akshar13 (Aug 28, 2014)

mitchellde said:


> You should look at the prolonged time codes 99354-99355 and the rules.  The minimum amount of time that must be documented is for a 99215 plus a 99354 is 70 minutes, the minimum for a 99215 plus a 99354 and a 99355 is 115 minutes.  Also note that these can be appended to any visit level and are not restricted to a 99215 or 99205.  So if you have a 99213visit level that took 45 minutes you can bill the 99313 plus the 99354.  The Medicare manual has an entire section on these codes with a table of the visit levels and the minimum times.




Thanks for response. I was under impression that to bill 99215+99354 Physician should have spent 45+60=105 minutes but I think it is wrong.


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