Primary Care Coding Alert
Oxygen Therapy
Question: Our family physician gave a patient with cluster headaches 20 minutes of oxygen therapy. How should we code for this? Is it included in the office visit? Kansas Subscriber Answer: There is no specific CPT code for administration of oxygen in the office. Use the appropriate E/M service code for the office visit (e.g., 99213) along with a prolonged services code(s) (99354-99357), if applicable, to capture the extra time involved. For example, if the oxygen therapy and other services rendered to the patient extended the visit to 45 minutes, which is 30 minutes longer than the typical time for 99213 (Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient ...), code 99213 plus +99354 (Prolonged physician service in the office or other outpatient setting requiring direct [face-to-face] patient contact beyond the usual service ...). For you to use the prolonged service code, the encounter must involve direct (face-to-face) physician contact with the patient.
Primary Care Coding Alert
- Report Foot Care Based on Disease,Symptoms
Family practitioners (FPs) cut or pare keratotic lesions on feet and treat toenails because many [...] - Use Prolonged Services to Capture Extra E/M Time
Many coders are confused about when to code for time and when to use the [...] - You Be the Coder:
BP Check
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking at the [...] - Reader Question:
Dissatisfied Patient
Question: A patient sees one physician in the practice and is unhappy with that provider. [...] - Reader Question:
Red Tide
Question: Recently, we have had patients present with reactions to red tide. They come in [...] - Reader Question:
Oxygen Therapy
Question: Our family physician gave a patient with cluster headaches 20 minutes of oxygen therapy. [...] - Reader Question:
ADHD Absent Definitive Diagnosis
Question: How should I code for a patient being evaluated for attention deficit disorder (ADD) [...] - Reader Question:
Supplied Serum
Question: How should I code when our physician gives an injection of allergen immunotherapy with [...] - Reader Question:
Diagnosis of Substance Abuse
Question: A patient presents with depression and feelings of nervousness. During the social history, the [...]
