Advanced Search

ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

Reader Question:

Be Observant In Assigning Codes For Services Crossing Midnight

Published on Mon Jun 18, 2012

Question: For observation time for professional services, do you use the 99218-99220 series if the patient presents at 10:00 p.m. to the ED and is assigned to observation at 3:00 a.m. with a discharge at 12:30 pm? Or, do you default to a level of service?Virginia SubscriberAnswer: CPT® is clear that when observation services are initiated in the course of another E/M encounter by the same provider on the same date, you should include the work associated with the decision to admit to observation in the observation code reported. In this case, the patient is first seen in the ED late on the prior day and admitted to observation status very early the next morning, which is a different date of service. If chart documentation supports the medical necessity and required key components, you could report the appropriate ED E/M code on day one and the appropriate observation code on [...]
You’ve reached your limit of free articles. Already a subscriber? Log in.
Not a subscriber? Subscribe today to continue reading this article. Plus, you’ll get:
  • Simple explanations of current healthcare regulations and payer programs
  • Real-world reporting scenarios solved by our expert coders
  • Industry news, such as MAC and RAC activities, the OIG Work Plan, and CERT reports
  • Instant access to every article ever published in your eNewsletter
  • 6 annual AAPC-approved CEUs*
  • The latest updates for CPT®, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS Level II, NCCI edits, modifiers, compliance, technology, practice management, and more
*CEUs available with select eNewsletters.

Other Articles in this issue of

ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

View All