tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2004 Issue 12

Reader Question: Time, Documentation Critical to 99291 Payment

Question: In the afternoon, our surgeon saw a patient for 30 minutes on the hospital floor, and in the evening he transferred the patient to the intensive care unit. There, the physician provided 60 minutes of critical care with the patient. How should I code this? The surgeon says there should be more than one code because he wants to get paid more for his extra time and work.Delaware Subscriber Answer: You should report the appropriate subsequent hospital care code (99231-99233) for the hospital visit. For the critical care services, you should assign 99291 (Critical care, evaluation and...

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