Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

Question: Our physicians sometimes spend time counseling with patients about tobacco usage. Is that something we can bill?

Nevada Subscriber

Answer: You can bill separately, depending on the amount of time and if the physician sees the patient for something else during the same visit. You have two time-based choices:

• 99406 -- moking and tobacco use cessation counseling visit; intermediate, greater than 3 minutes up to 10 minutes
• 99407 -- ... intensive, greater than 10 minutes.

Remember: Because these behavior change intervention codes hinge on time, the provider must clearly document the time required to perform the service. Phrases such as "some," "lengthy," or "prolonged" don't support using codes 99406 or 99407. Standard E/M codes include any discussion or counseling of smoking cessation and tobacco use that takes less than three minutes.