Pulmonology Coding Alert

Physician preventing further deterioration is key to valid critical care claims. What does critical care documentation need to contain to withstand scrutiny? The service itself has to meet CPTs time parameters, patient condition, and physician actions requirements. To make checking encounter notes for these items easier, get solutions to critical cares who, what, and where? Who Qualifies for Critical Care? To report 99291 (Critical care, evaluation and management of the critically ill or critically injured patient; first 30-74 minutes) and +99292 (... each additional 30 minutes [List separately in addition to code for primary service]), the pulmonologist must be treating a patient that is critically ill or injured, confirms Rebecca Parker MD, FACEP, president of Team Parker LLC, a coding, billing, and compliance consulting firm in Lakewood, Ill. CPT classifies a critical illness or injury as acute damage to one or more of the patients vital organ systems, Parker explains. [...]