E&M codes?

[Chrismander]

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I saw an article in Psychiatric News that the APA is fighting for psychiatrists to be able to use E&M codes. 👍 Has anyone heard anything about this or know that status of this?

In practice would time coding be entirely sufficient to justify E&M coding for a medication visit, or would a full physical exam 😱 need to be performed as well to make it "E&M"?

 

[WhoisJohnGalt]

I saw an article in Psychiatric News that the APA is fighting for psychiatrists to be able to use E&M codes. 👍 Has anyone heard anything about this or know that status of this?

In practice would time coding be entirely sufficient to justify E&M coding for a medication visit, or would a full physical exam 😱 need to be performed as well to make it "E&M"?

The article I read said there's no "fighting" to be done for it; it's totally legit but people just aren't using them. I have heard that there needs to be two medical evaluations, so you can use lab values and vitals in lieu of needing to do a physical exam but that's anecdotal and could be wrong.

 

[Chrismander]

The article I read said there's no "fighting" to be done for it; it's totally legit but people just aren't using them. I have heard that there needs to be two medical evaluations, so you can use lab values and vitals in lieu of needing to do a physical exam but that's anecdotal and could be wrong.

Thanks!

Any of you attendings out there: have you ever billed an E&M code? Did it work alright? What percentage of your outpatient visits are E&M vs. med management codes?

It seems trivial to be asking about coding like this but my understanding is that the RVU value for a 15 minute E&M visit is like twice as much as a 15 min med management visit.

 

[Manicsleep]

I do it all the time but I also use a stethoscope daily. I do an oral, cardiopulmonary exam and a neuro exam. I also document vitals etc. on every visit and we have every psychiatrist do this once a year. Nursing can do a lot of the work for you and it basically covers the cost of nursing staff who are then useful in many other ways...most importantly PAs.