Urology Coding Alert

Consultation coding has every coder on edge this year. Ensure that you have a handle on this complicated coding situation by taking this threequestion quiz and then checking your answers against the experts' on page 12.

Question 1: When a visit with a Medicare inpatient that would normally have been coded as a consultation does not meet the requirements of an initial inpatient hospital care code, what should you report?

Question 2: What modifier do admitting physicians need to use in 2010 when they report an initial hospital care code (99221-99223)?

Question 3: When Medicare is the patient's secondary insurance and his primary insurance accepts the consultation codes, should you use a consultation code for the Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) as well?