Indiana Subscriber
Answer: Although CPT 2006 no longer includes confirmatory consult codes, the old codes established that a parent could request a consultation with a physician on behalf of his child and would therefore qualify as an -appropriate source.- Because of this, many coders believe that people who are not medical professionals--such as parents and/or teachers--can count as an appropriate source.
Therefore, you can only code the visit as a consultation (99241-99245, Office consultation for a new or established patient ...) if the physician meets all the consultation criteria.