Christine72
Contributor
I work for a large anesthesia practice where we have pain clinics. I want to do my best at E/M coding. I have different people telling me different things to some of my questions. I'm taking the online E/M coding lesson through the AAPC but I'm overwhelming myself.
The main 2 things in most of my visits are that they are going to change the dosage and/or med to something else. The other is lab work. They are going to a UDS.
1. Patient A is an established patient coming in for their routine Rx visit. They have no new complaints and the NP in our practice writes "continue meds as prescribed" or "no med changes". Let's say the med is a narcotic. The patient has been on this same med and dosage for awhile. My thinking is since there are no changes I should code this a 99212 or "because" it is a narcotic and the "table of risk" has "prescription drug management" under "moderate" I should use a 99213?
What I'm trying to ask is this. Because the patient is seen monthly for prescription drug management, of a narcotic, would this make my E/M level 99213? I asked my own primary care MD when I was at my own check up what his opinion was. He said a 99212 if no changes.
Please give me feedback. Make it simple for me because my head is spinning from working so hard at reading and doubting my thoughts.
The main 2 things in most of my visits are that they are going to change the dosage and/or med to something else. The other is lab work. They are going to a UDS.
1. Patient A is an established patient coming in for their routine Rx visit. They have no new complaints and the NP in our practice writes "continue meds as prescribed" or "no med changes". Let's say the med is a narcotic. The patient has been on this same med and dosage for awhile. My thinking is since there are no changes I should code this a 99212 or "because" it is a narcotic and the "table of risk" has "prescription drug management" under "moderate" I should use a 99213?
What I'm trying to ask is this. Because the patient is seen monthly for prescription drug management, of a narcotic, would this make my E/M level 99213? I asked my own primary care MD when I was at my own check up what his opinion was. He said a 99212 if no changes.
Please give me feedback. Make it simple for me because my head is spinning from working so hard at reading and doubting my thoughts.