Feb 4, 2025 | Coding Quandry
Question: We had a patient that called in and left a message for the doctor to contact her about a visit she had for bronchitis just over a week ago. The doctor called her back and they had a 10-minute discussion about how she was feeling. She stated that she was...
Jan 10, 2025 | Coding Quandry
Question: An established Medicare patient was seen in our primary care office for a follow-up from the Urgent Care to have sutures removed. Do we need to report modifier 25 on our E/M code with 15853 for the suture removal? The doctor also talked to the patient about...
Apr 3, 2024 | Coding Quandry
Question: I am unsure what ICD-10 diagnosis codes should go on a claim for an encounter. Here is an example: a patient is seen for a nagging cough/cold symptoms. Since the patient has hypertension, the doctor told her there are certain over-the-counter medications...
Mar 13, 2024 | Coding Quandry
Question: A patient came in for two punch biopsies due to dermatitis that wouldn’t clear after treatment for a few months. The doctor thinks that he should be able to bill an E/M with the visit, but I say no. Who is right? Answer: I don’t like giving this answer,...
Feb 3, 2023 | Coding Quandry
Question: One point of clarification I’ve wondered about. What defines the chronicity of the condition? Is it if it’s lasted more than one year already for the patient or is it if we know that it’s going to last more than a year even if it’s...
Apr 7, 2022 | Coding Quandry
Question: When I am performing a shave biopsy, I append diagnosis code D48.5 to the service. My coder is telling me that it is incorrect, and I should use D49.2 instead. Who is correct? Answer: The coder is correct on this one. D48.5 is Neoplasm of Uncertain...
