E/M Primer:
Scope Out Potential Level 4 and 5 E/Ms by Knowing Crucial HPI Facts
Published on Mon May 24, 2010
Watch out for CPT/Medicare differences when counting HPI elements.If you're not accurately accounting for the history of present illness (HPI) documented by your cardiologist, you could be missing out on opportunities to report level 4 or 5 E/M visits. Ensure you're not missing higher-pay possibilities by reviewing this guide to capturing HPI elements.Brush Up on What Qualifies as an HPI ElementHPI is one of the four parts comprising an outpatient E/M history. It describes the patient's present illness or problem, from the first sign/symptom to the current visit, and typically influences your cardiologist's decisions about the physical examination and treatment."The information gathered during the physical exam (PE) portion of a patient's evaluation often only shows a very limited picture of the patient's problem. However, speaking with a patient and gathering the history of the patient's problem can relate the entire picture," explains Amanda S. Stoltman, CCS-P, a compliance coder in [...]