I read an article in the AAPC Coding Edge (June 2007) where it was stated that "treatment of any patient requiring prescription drug should support the billing of at least the level three code 99213." It goes on to say, when an established patient is prescribed medication the service should be no lower than a 99213. My question is, does this also hold true for new patients? If a new patient is prescribed medication should the code be a least a moderate level of risk for the medical decision making portion of the E & M code?
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