Wiki hospital admission

[baran]

if the physician sends the child to the ER after seeing them in the office & the child is admitted, can the hospital admit code 99221 be used instead of the EM code even if the Dr. doesn't go to the hospital that day? Or if the Dr goes to the hospital the following morning can the 99221 be used?

 

[dmetz]

I just read about this in the Coding Edge, May 2010. The 99221 is used to report the FIRST Hospital inpatient encounter with the patient by the admitting physician. If he does not see him till the next day, that next day would be the first encounter.