My first thought was, WHAT PRE-ADMISSION TEST??? I've had this lovely procedure, and there was no "pre-admission test", because there was no admission. It's an in-and-out procedure (pun intended), and there is no admission. I didn't even meet the doctor who did mine until I was in the pre-op area.
I would say what you had done was not a wellness exam (99396) and frankly not a 99214 either. The decision was already made to do the test, so there was no need to do all those other things. At best I would call it a 99212, although there was no chief complaint. When the nurse calls a day or two before the procedure, they ask you about illnesses and whatnot.
AAFP has this to say: Question: Is a preoperative physical performed prior to a screening colonoscopy considered part of the colonoscopy, or is it separately billable? The office visit is not the same day as the colonoscopy, but it does have the same diagnosis. If it is billable, how should we code for it? Would it be a consult, since another doctor referred the patient to me? Answer: This is usually not a billable service. Colonoscopy services are assigned a “000-day” global period. Chapter 6 of the National Correct Coding Initiative manual states, “If a procedure has a global period of 000 or 010 days, it is defined as a minor surgical procedure. The decision to perform a minor surgical procedure is included in the payment for the minor surgical procedure and should not be reported separately as an E/M service. However, a significant and separately identifiable E/M service unrelated to the decision to perform the minor surgical procedure is separately reportable with modifier 25.”
An office visit might be reported if, in the usual pre-procedure work, the physician uncovers a diagnostic reason for the colonoscopy or an indication that precludes performing the procedure.
