Internal Medicine Coding Alert

Question: Our nurse often teaches patients how to use a glucometer. Which CPT code should we report for this training service?

Indiana Subscriber

Answer: You should report 99211 (Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient, that may not require the presence of a physician ...) for the training session. Use V65.4x (Other counseling, not elsewhere classified) as your diagnosis code. Some practices complain that the glucometer training often takes 30 minutes, but 99211 only describes a five-minute service.

Unfortunately, your practice may have to absorb the cost of the remaining 25 minutes, because CPT doesn't include a more comprehensive glucometer training code.