Medical Coding

Category - Medicine

A 20-year-old man fractures his arm in two places. He is seen in the urgent care setting and the bone is reset. To do this, the physician orders moderate sedation and repeat x-rays after the procedure is done to ensure proper placement before casting. The patient is given moderate sedation with one physician and one nurse present and the procedure lasts 35 minutes. What is the correct code for the moderate sedation service?
  1. 99143
  2. 99144
  3. 99145
  4. 99148
Explanation
Answer: B - 99144 is the correct code for moderate sedation of a patient age five years and older for the first 30 minutes of the procedure.

Codes 99143 and 99148 are incorrect because these codes are for patients younger than five years of age. Code 99145 is incorrect because this is an add-on code for each additional 15 minutes after the first 30.
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