Pediatric Coding Alert

Question: A 3-year-old child with a history of bad breath was brought to the office. After evaluating the problem, the pediatrician determined that the child had a foreign body in his nose. The physician removed it. Can I code the E/M service separate from the foreign body removal?North Dakota SubscriberAnswer: Yes, you can claim both services if you have supporting documentation. Here's how:• Report the E/M service with 99213 (Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient ...).• Append modifier 25 (Significant, separately identifiable evaluation and management service by the same physician on the same day of the procedure or other service) to 99213 and link the code to diagnosis 784.99 (Other symptoms involving head and neck) for halitosis.• Include 30300 (Removal foreign body, intranasal; office type procedure) for the object removal.Reasoning: Any time you have a separate and distinct E/M service at the [...]