Ob-Gyn Coding Alert

Examine both the annual and nonscheduled exam scenarios. Global maternal care depends on the method the ob-gyn uses to determine if a patient is pregnant, but coding for the clinical diagnosis of the pregnancy becomes complicated when you have to decide between annual visits and nonscheduled exams. In the majority of circumstances, you should not begin counting antepartum visits for the global maternity codes (59400, 59510, 59610, 59618) until the next full visit, coding experts say. Pregnancy Diagnosed During Annual Exam Annual visits often lead to confusion when it comes to establishing a patient's pregnancy. You should choose from a range of different E/M codes according to three scenarios: if a patient's annual visit leads to a diagnosis of her pregnancy, if she arrives knowing that she is pregnant, or if the ob-gyn eliminates other possible diagnoses. Scenario 1: If the ob-gyn diagnoses pregnancy (V72.42, Pregnancy examination or test, positive [...]