Pulmonology Coding Alert

Face-to-face encounters are a must for an established status.When your pulmonologist treats a previously seen patient, don't always assume you would report E/M services provided using established patient codes (99212-99215). Check out our advice on when to use new patient codes for a patient your pulmonologist has previously treated. Use Time Specifications to Determine StatusOne of the prime considerations that you will have to factor in when trying to determine if a previously seen patient should be billed under established or new evaluation and management codes is time elapsed since your pulmonologist last saw the patient or provided services.Have a look at CPT®'s established patient definition: "An established patient is one who received any professional services from the physician or another physician of the same specialty who belongs to the same group practice, within the past three years." "If the patient hadn't been seen by your pulmonologist in the last [...]