AngelaMehl
Contributor
I am having an issue with one of my physicians who thinks he can bill a level 5 for basically a runny nose and a cough. I have been a certified coder for 12 years and I can review documentation and know just by looking at it whether or not it meets a level 5 office visit. When I talk to one of my physicians, I like to have everything in black and white and I want to make certain that I sound knowledgeable about the issue at hand. Can someone PLEASE give me an example of what to say to him about what criteria he needs to meet for a level 5 office visit? He will write a book in his HPI but barely put enough in his ROS and Exam to meet a level 3. I would like an example of EXACTLY what to say to him for example, how many body systems, what he needs to order as far as labs, x rays, and/or EKG, etc. etc. I don't want any room for him to argue. I want to be able to tell him in the simplest way what he needs in his documentation to meet a 99215. Any help is very much appreciated in advance! I am dealing with a very argumentative and difficult physician. I don't like down coding my physicians, I would LOVE to give him a level 5 but he doesn't understand that it takes a LOT to meet a 99215.