moremopars1
Contributor
If billing a New patient Preventive visit would you bill the Problem based E&M as an established visit code?![Confused :confused: :confused:](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
Just an FYI - ICD-10 CM codes for preventive, Category Z00.0-, and Z01.4- have exclude 1 notes that state they exclude encounter for signs and symptoms. An exclude 1 means it is a pure exclusion and cannot be coded together. Therefore if a patient presents for a preventive but has symptomatic complaints, you cannot bill both, you can have an office encounter for the symptoms and reschedule the preventive. I bring it up so that offices can begin to plan for this
Since you cannot code the symptoms with the preventive dx code there will be no medical necessity to link to the office visit.
Then the visit documentation would not meet the criteria of a preventive encounter. The ICD-10 CM book states under the excludes 1 note to code to the signs and symptoms only. I think you need to discuss this with the physician. Most physicians I have talked yo are not comfortable documenting acute symptoms and treatment that cannot be coded. They would rather have it explained to the patient that if they which to have symptomatic issues discussed and or treated, the preventive will need yo be rescheduled. You should examine your ICD-10 CM book, if you do not have one it is a great idea to obtain one to learn all of these complexities.