Ob-Gyn Coding Alert

Observation services expansion eliminates payer coding variation.In 2011, coders will have a new option when reporting the middle day of observations that last longer than normal.Check out this expert advice on how CPT additions will affect your ob-gyn's observation care services coding starting on Jan. 1, 2011.New Codes Offer ClarityBefore 2011, coding for the "middle days" of an observation service was a problem. Although not the norm, there are situations where a patient is admitted to observation and remains in that status for three or more days. The CPT 2011 E/M section addresses these middle days with new codes. The three new codes parallel the hospital subsequent care series in terms of component requirements and time frames. The new codes include:99224 -- Subsequent observation care, per day, for the evaluation and management of a patient, which requires at least 2 of these 3 key components: Problem focused interval history; Problem focused [...]