cpt for specialist visit

List With Office Visit CPT Codes (New & Established Patients)

The CPT codes for office visits can be found in the CPT manual; under range CPT 99202 until 99205 for office visits of new patients . For office visits of established patients, you can use range 99211 to CPT code 99215. We also included CPT 99070 in case you need to bill extra supplies/materials for office visits and CPT code 99072 if extra staff and supplies were needed during a Public Health Emergency.

CPT Code 99070

Long description of CPT 99070 : Supplies and materials [except spectacles] provided by the physician or other qualified health care professional over and above those usually included with the office visit or other services rendered [list drugs, trays, supplies, or materials provided].

Short description: Extra supplies/materials for office visit.

CPT Code 99072

Long description of CPT 99072 : Additional supplies, materials, and clinical staff time over and above those usually included in an office visit or other non-facility service[s], when performed during a Public Health Emergency, as defined by law, due to respiratory-transmitted infectious disease.

Short description: Extra supplies and staff time for office visits during Public Health Emergency.

CPT Code 99202

Long description of CPT 99202 : Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of a new patient , which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and straightforward medical decision making. When using time for code selection, 15-29 minutes of total time is spent on the date of the encounter.

Short description: 15-29 minute office visit for new patient evaluation and management.

CPT Code 99203

Long description of CPT 99203 : Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of a new patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and low level of medical decision making. When using time for code selection, 30-44 minutes of total time is spent on the date of the encounter.

Short description: 30-44 minute office visit for new patient evaluation and management.

CPT Code 99204

Long description of CPT 99204 : Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of a new patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and moderate level of medical decision making. When using time for code selection, 45-59 minutes of total time is spend on the date of the encounter.

Short description: 45-59 minute office visit for new patient evaluation and management.

CPT Code 99205

Long description of CPT 99205 : Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of a new patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and high level of medical decision making. When using time for code+ selection, 60-74 minutes of total time is spent on the date of the encounter.

Short description: 60-74 minute office visit for new patient evaluation and management.

CPT Code 99211

Long description of CPT 99211 : Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient that may not require the presence of a physician or other qualified health care professional

Short description: Short office visit for established patient management.

CPT Code 99212

Long description of CPT Code 99212 : Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and straightforward medical decision making. When using time for code selection, 10-19 minutes of total time spent on the date of the encounter.

Short description: 10-19 minute office visit for established patient management.

CPT Code 99213

Long description of CPT 99213 : Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and low level of medical decision making. When using time for code selection, 20-29 minutes of total time is spent on the date of the encounter.

Short description: 20-29 minute office visit for established patient management.

CPT Code 99214

Long description of CPT 99214 : Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and moderate level of medical decision-making. When using time for code selection, 30-39 minutes of total time is spend on the date of the encounter.

Short description: 30-39 minutes office visit for established patient management.

CPT Code 99215

Long description of CPT 99215 : Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient, which requires medically appropriate history and/or examination and high level of medical decision making. When using time for code selection, 40-54 minutes of total time is spent on the date of the encounter.

Short description: 40-54 minutes office visit for established patient management .

https://www.aapc.com/codes/cpt-codes-range/99211-99215/

https://www.aapc.com/codes/cpt-codes-range/99202-99205/

https://www.aapc.com/codes/cpt-codes/99070

https://www.aapc.com/codes/cpt-codes/99072

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2 new codes developed for interprofessional consultation :

Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes 99446-99449 were created in 2014 to capture the time spent by a consultant who is not in direct contact with the patient at the time of service.

An interprofessional telephone/internet consultation (ITC) is defined as an assessment and management service in which a patient’s treating (e.g., attending or primary) physician/other qualified health care professional (QHP) requests the opinion and/or treatment advice of a consultant with specific specialty expertise to assist the treating physician/QHP in the diagnosis and/or management of the patient’s problem without the need for the patient’s face-to-face contact with the consultant.

Since the type or severity of the problem is not defined, any condition may qualify for consultative services. However, the codes typically are reported when a new problem arises or a chronic issue is not well-managed or exacerbates.

Only the consultant can report these codes. In addition, these codes require both a verbal and written follow-up report.

Some changes are in store for ITC this year. The American Medical Association Digital Medicine Payment Advisory Group developed two new ITC codes:

• Code 99451 is reported by the consultant, allowing him/her to access data/information through the electronic health record (EHR), in addition to telephone or internet.
• Code 99452 is reported by the requesting/treating physician/QHP (e.g., the primary care physician).

The table outlines distinctions between consultant codes 99446-99449 and the new consultant code 99451 as well as distinct features of code 99452.

Consultant codes99446-99449 and 99451:

• can be reported for new or established patients
• can be reported for a new or exacerbated problem
• are reported only by a consultant when requested by another physician/QHP
• cannot be reported more than once per seven days for the same patient
• are reported based on cumulative time spent, even if that time occurs on subsequent days
• are not reported if a transfer of care or request for a face-to-face consult occurs as a result of the consultation within the next 14 days
• are not reported if the patient was seen by the consultant within the past 14 days
• require that the request and the reason for the request for the consult be documented in the record
• require verbal consent for the interprofessional consultation from the patient/family documented in the patient’s medical record

Requesting/treating physician/QHP code 99452:

• is reported by the physician/QHP who is treating the patient and requesting the non-face-to-face consult for medical advice or opinion — and not for a transfer of care or a face-to-face consult
• is reported only when the patient is not on-site and with the physician/QHP at the time of the consultation
• cannot be reported more than once per 14 days per patient
• includes time preparing for the referral and/or communicating with the consultant
• requires a minimum of 16 minutes
• can be reported with prolonged services, non-direct

Q. A physician was asked to consult on a pediatric patient. The progress notes and lab studies were sent electronically for review. The patient is established to the consulting physician’s practice but is being managed primarily by her primary care physician for a condition that is not improving as expected. The consulting physician reviews the notes and documents time as follows:

• five minutes on Tuesday (chart notes and data review)
• 15 minutes on Thursday (phone consult with primary care physician) and three additional minutes writing up discussion

How is this reported?

• Report based on the total time spent. In total, the consultant spent 20 minutes, and more than 50% was spent on the consultative discussion. Because the criteria for reporting code99448 or 99451 are met, the consulting physician should report code 99448.

Q. A school counselor asked a physician in our practice to review some records and call her to discuss the patient’s behavioral issues. In total, the physician spent 15 minutes. What ITC code can we report?

A. The ITC codes are not applicable because the school counselor does not meet the criteria of a QHP.

Q. A physician (consultant) performs an ITC where she spent 15 minutes total. She drafted the written report and sent it back. Should I submit the claim right away since there is a 14-day window for a service, which will bundle the ITC codes?

A. Hold all claims until 14 days have passed. Even if the initial consult did not result in a transfer of care, the ITC codes are not separately payable if another service is performed within 14 days of the consult, including an evaluation and management (E/M) service or procedure/surgery.

Q. What written documentation and patient information are needed to file with insurers?

A. For codes 99446-99449, written documentation can include date of call; patient name, insurance information and date of birth; brief statement of the problem; pertinent physical exam findings reported by the requesting/treating physician/QHP; labs/X-ray findings; differential diagnosis (if applicable) and focused recommendations.

Documentation for codes 99451-99452 most likely will occur through each organization’s EHR. Over time, code 99452 may be used for telephone and internet consults as well. Each institution may develop a template for the requesting/treating physician/QHP and the consulting physician for documentation and billing.

Note:  Billing for interprofessional services is limited to practitioners who can independently bill Medicare for E/M services. Though the descriptors for codes 99446-99449 and 99451 only include “assessment and management service provided by a consultative physician,” the text in the rule includes consultative QHPs, as long as the consulting QHP is eligible to independently bill Medicare for E/M services. CPT code 99452 applies to the treating/referring physician/QHP, and the rest of the codes apply to the consultative physician or QHP. Most importantly, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services requires documentation of the patient’s/family’s verbal consent in the medical record for each interprofessional consultation service.

Dennis L. Murray, M.D., FAAP, contributed to this article. 

• For more information on the interprofessional telephone/internet consultation codes, see AAP News article “New year brings new, revised CPT codes for pediatrics”
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Coding Physician Visits in Skilled Nursing Facilities/Nursing Facilities

• Mark Complete

As of April 22, due to the COVID-19 public health emergency , CMS is waiving the requirement in 42 CFR 483.30 for physicians and non-physician practitioners to perform in-person visits for nursing home residents and allow visits to be conducted, as appropriate, via telehealth options. Prior to this, telehealth was only available for established patient visits.

Coding for Skilled Nursing Facility

• To be reported when the MD, DO, OD visits the patient in the Skilled Nursing Facility.
• Place of Service is 13.
• Initial Visit whether patient is new or established 99304, 99305, 99306
• Subsequent Skilled Nursing Facility visits performed in person or via telehealth: 99307, 99308, 99309, 99310

Coding for Nursing Home Visits

• To be reported when the MD, DO, OD visits the patient in a Nursing Home.
• Place of service is 13
• New Patient: 99324, 99325, 99326, 99327, 99328
• Established Patient: 99334, 99335, 99336, 99337
• Modifier -25

Note: When billing an intravitreal injection (or any minor surgery) the same day as an encounter, consider the definition of modifier -25 and although medically necessary, if the established patient exam is performed solely to confirm the need for the injection, the exam is not separately billable.

Coding for Home Visits

• To be reported when the MD, DO, OD visits the patient at their home.
• Place of service is 12
• New Patient: 99341, 99342, 99343, 99344, 99345
• Established Patient: 99347, 99348, 99349, 99350

View updates on telemedicine coding to use in your practice based on guidelines from CMS.

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In the exam room, the distinction between one type of visit and another isn't always clear. It's important to know when — and how — you can bill for both .

BETSY NICOLETTI, MS, CPC, AND VINITA MAGOON, DO, JD, MBA, MPH, CMQ

Fam Pract Manag. 2022;29(1):15-20

Author disclosures: no relevant financial relationships.

In family medicine, it's common for a medical problem to crop up during a routine preventive visit, or for a preventive service to crop up during a problem-oriented visit. For example, let's say you're finishing up a Medicare annual wellness visit when the patient lifts his shirt and says, “Oh yeah, I'd also like you to look at this rash,” which results in a prescription. Or, at a follow-up visit for a patient's chronic condition, you notice he is overdue for a flu shot and colorectal screening, so you perform a preventive visit too.

From a coding perspective, there is a bright line between a preventive medicine visit and a problem-oriented visit. One is for promoting health and wellness, and the other is for addressing an acute or chronic medical problem. But in the exam room, the distinction isn't always clear. The question for family physicians is this: When does the work in the exam room warrant billing for two distinct services?

The answer lies in knowing the requirements for various preventive medicine and Medicare wellness visits, knowing when you've done enough beyond those requirements to also bill for a separate E/M service, and knowing how to document and code it all. The good news is the 2021 E/M coding changes made it easier than it used to be.

When physicians and other clinicians address a medical problem during a preventive or wellness visit, they can often bill for both services.

Knowing the core components of preventive or wellness visits can help physicians recognize when they have done enough work beyond those requirements to bill for a separate evaluation and management service.

Because preventive and wellness visits come with no cost sharing, it's best practice to explain to patients that a separate service performed during the same visit may result in a charge to them.

PREVENTIVE MEDICINE VISITS

Preventive medicine visits (CPT codes 99381-99397) are for patients covered by commercial insurance, Medicaid plans, and some Medicare Advantage plans. Patients value these visits because they are not subject to co-pays and deductibles. After age two, one preventive visit is covered annually.

According to CPT, preventive medicine visits are “comprehensive preventive medicine evaluation and management services of an individual including an age and gender appropriate history, examination, counseling/anticipatory guidance/risk factor reduction interventions, and the ordering of laboratory/diagnostic procedures.”

Codes 99381-99387 are for new patients and 99391-99397 are for established patients. Both are further broken down by age group. The extent of the exam, the content of the counseling and anticipatory guidance, and the recommended screenings and immunizations vary depending on the patient's age and gender. “Comprehensive” in the CPT definition is not synonymous with the comprehensive exam required in other E/M services. This is a common misconception among physicians and patients alike.

CPT states that if a new or existing problem is assessed and managed at the time of the preventive visit, the physician should also bill a problem-oriented visit (an office visit) on the day of the preventive care. But insignificant problems that do not require extra work should not be billed as office visits. If a patient comes in for a preventive visit and the clinician also looks at a rash or notices the patient's blood pressure is elevated, these observations alone are not enough to bill a problem-oriented E/M visit. There must be some medical decision making (MDM) that occurs, such as prescribing a topical treatment for the rash or choosing not to prescribe a medication for the high blood pressure and instead suggesting the patient change his diet.

Once you've documented your MDM, you can bill an E/M visit using codes 99202-99215 with the preventive medicine visit code. Make sure to add modifier 25 to the E/M code to signal to the payer that two distinct visits were done on the same day.

For more details on when to bill both visits, how to level the E/M portion, and what to include in your documentation, see “ One visit or two? ”

ONE VISIT OR TWO?

Medicare wellness visits.

Original (traditional) Medicare does not cover CPT codes 99381-99397, because Medicare has its own wellness visits with their own “G” codes and requirements. As mentioned, some Medicare Advantage plans do cover the preventive medicine CPT codes in addition to Medicare wellness visits. However, a Medicare wellness visit and a preventive visit should not be billed on the same date of service. Medicare developed the Initial Preventive Physical Examination (IPPE, also known as the “Welcome to Medicare” visit) (G0402) and initial and subsequent annual wellness visits (G0438 and G0439) to encourage Medicare patients to receive screenings and preventive care, and to work with their physicians to develop a personalized prevention plan. 1 The requirements are slightly different for the three codes, but in general they require collecting or updating medical, family, and social history; screening for depression; evaluating the patient's ability to perform activities of daily living; assessing the patient's safety at home; recording vital signs; asking about opioid and substance use; and providing guidance about preventive services and a personalized prevention plan (for more details, see the table in “ Medicare 101: Navigating the Rules for Coverage and Benefits in Clinical Practice ”). Similar to CPT's preventive medicine visits, Medicare wellness visits do not require a full head-to-toe physical exam.

The assessment and management of acute or chronic problems are not components of the IPPE or annual wellness visits. When that service is medically necessary during a Medicare wellness visit, the physician can also bill for a problem-oriented E/M office visit on the same day, again using the appropriate CPT code (99202-99215) with modifier 25.

SELECTING THE LEVEL OF SERVICE FOR THE E/M CODE

Hopefully you're now familiar with the E/M coding rules that changed in 2021. 2 Performing a problem-oriented E/M service on the same date as a wellness visit adds a layer of complexity when it comes to choosing the level of service for the E/M code. But, as mentioned, the new rules actually make it easier than it was before.

When selecting a code (99202-99215) using the new E/M guidelines for office and outpatient services, physicians may use either total time on the date of the visit or MDM. History and exam are no longer necessary to select the level of service (though they should still be documented to provide the best care). This makes it easier to select a level of service for the problem-oriented visit when it's combined with a wellness or preventive visit because there are fewer overlapping components when coding based on MDM. The E/M service is your assessment and management of an acute or chronic condition, which is not required in either CPT preventive services or Medicare wellness visits.

It's trickier to code the E/M service based on time because you must make sure to only count the time spent managing the problems, not the time spent on the preventive or wellness service. The February 2021 CPT Assistant newsletter was particularly clear on this, stating “if time is used for selection of a level of the office/outpatient E/M code, the time spent on the preventive service cannot be counted toward the time of the work of the problem assessment because time spent performing a service cannot be counted twice. The code for the problem-assessment portion of the encounter will likely be selected based on MDM.” 3 It might make sense to consider MDM-based coding as the best practice when combining E/M visits with wellness visits.

A problem-oriented visit includes the history of the problem and any symptoms or complaints related to it. It may or may not include a physical exam or data review (e.g., notes reviewed, tests ordered, tests reviewed, or independent historian). It includes the evaluation and management of a problem or condition. When these components are documented in addition to the preventive visit, add a problem-oriented visit code. For more on which components are required for which visits, see “ How to credit combined visits .”

Let's look at some examples of when it would be appropriate to bill for a problem-oriented E/M code (CPT 99202-99215) along with a preventive or wellness visit.

Patient 1: A 70-year-old male, established patient with a history of diabetes and hyperlipidemia comes in for a Medicare annual wellness visit. All required components of the wellness visit are completed. The patient then asks for a refill of his diabetes medication. The physician asks the patient if he is taking his medication as prescribed and following the diet recommendations discussed during the last visit. The physician also performs a focused physical exam, discusses medication management for diabetes and hyperlipidemia, and orders maintenance labs. The physician documents her significant review of the patient's problems, bills for the annual wellness visit with code G0439, and adds a 99214 E/M code because she addressed two stable chronic illnesses and performed prescription drug management. She adds modifier 25 to the E/M code.

Patient 2: A 32-year-old female, new patient comes in for a preventive medicine visit required by her employer. The physician completes all requirements for the preventive visit. During the history portion, the patient tells the physician that she has been having some knee pain exacerbated by running. The physician obtains additional history about the pain, examines her knee, tells her to reduce her running until the pain subsides, and gives her a handout on knee exercises. He also recommends she try a knee brace and follow up if the pain does not lessen with rest. The physician documents the extra work done to address the knee issue, then bills code 99385 for an initial preventive medicine visit for a patient age 18–39, along with E/M code 99203 because he addressed one acute, uncomplicated injury. He adds modifier 25 to the E/M code.

Patient 3: A 49-year-old female, established patient comes in for her annual preventive visit. The physician completes all requirements for the preventive visit. The patient then mentions she has been excessively tired recently and has been having trouble sleeping. The physician obtains a detailed history of the problems, does a thorough physical exam, and orders some labs (complete blood count and thyroid-stimulating hormone). The physician documents the extra work, then bills code 99396 for a periodic preventive medicine visit for a patient age 40–64 and E/M code 99213 for addressing two acute illnesses (fatigue and insomnia) and ordering two labs. The physician adds modifier 25 to the E/M code.

WORKFLOW TIPS

It's hard to plan for surprise problems that come up during a preventive or wellness visit. But your staff can help by asking patients up front if they have any other issues that need to be addressed. This step should occur when staff are scheduling or confirming patient visits, allowing you to block off more time if necessary.

Scheduling staff should also be aware that Medicare wellness visits have strict rules about how often they can be billed. They must be separated by at least 12 months from the previous wellness visit. Having staff check eligibility for Medicare wellness visits using the HIPAA Eligibility Transaction System can help you avoid denials. 4 The timeframes for CPT preventive visits are more forgiving; they can be performed once every plan year (usually a calendar year, but some plans vary).

Patients who know their preventive/wellness visit will be covered with no deductible or co-pay may mistakenly assume all services provided during that visit, including E/M, will be no cost to them. It is best to educate patients on the costs associated with a problem-oriented office visit and let them know that performing one with a preventive or wellness visit will result in the same co-pay they would incur if the problem-oriented visit was on a different day. Most patients will accept this, because getting both visits in the same trip is more convenient for them. Posting flyers in the exam rooms or waiting room about the difference between preventive/wellness visits and problem-oriented visits, and the costs associated with each, can also prevent patient dissatisfaction.

Physicians could ask these patients to return for the problem-oriented visit on another day, but if time allows for providing both services at the current visit, it is only fair and reasonable to do so. Knowing the rules for combined visits, and the convenience they offer patients, should give physicians the confidence to bill fully for their services.

The ABCs of the Initial Preventive Physical Examination. Medicare Learning Network. Accessed Nov. 15, 2021. https://www.mvphealthcare.com/wp-content/uploads/download-manager-files/CMS-ABC-Initial-Preventive-Physical-Examination-ICN006904-01-2015.pdf

Millette KW. Countdown to the E/M coding changes. Fam Pract Manag . 2020;27(5):29-36.

Evaluation and management (E/M) 2021; AMA CPT Assistant . 2021;2:7-8.

HIPAA Eligibility Transaction System (HETS). Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Updated Oct. 25, 2021. Accessed Nov. 15, 2021. https://www.cms.gov/research-statistics-data-and-systems/cms-information-technology/hetshelp

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