tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2004 Issue 11

Reader Questions: New Medical Record Doesn't Mean New Patient

Question: When a patient presents to the office for the first time after one of our surgeons discharges her from the hospital, can we report a new patient code if a different physician in our group sees her? CPT says a new patient is one we have not seen in the past three years, but I have also heard that a new patient is one who requires a medical record to be established.Arkansas Subscriber Answer: CPT is very clear on this matter: "A new patient (99201-99205) is one who has not received any professional services from the physician...

To read the full article, sign in and subscribe to tci General Surgery Coding Alert.

Thank you for choosing Find-A-Code, please Sign In to remove ads.