MAY 25, 2017
Emergency Department Exam Billing
Question: Our physician saw an established patient in the emergency department. The patient was discharged and we are now following up in our office suite. How do I bill for the ED visit?
Answer: Use the emergency department family of E&M codes 99281-99285 and place of service 23. This code family is not broken down between new and established visits like office or inpatient exams. The physician does not have to be assigned to the ED to report ED exam codes. When you see the patient for follow-up in your office, use either the established patient E&M or Eye visit codes.
Learn more about E&M versus Eye visit codes in Ophthalmic Coding: Learn to Code the Essentials.