Practice Quiz

Medical Coding

Category - Evaluation and Management

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A patient is admitted to the hospital for observation for possible dehydration. A detailed history is performed with a detailed examination of the patient on the unit. The medical decision making was low complexity and straightforward, so the physician was only on the unit for about 20 minutes. What is the best code to be used for this observation patient?
  1. 99218
  2. 99219
  3. 99220
  4. 99224
Explanation
Answer: A - 99218 is the correct code for an initial observation care of low complexity with a detailed history and examination.
Code 99219 is incorrect because this code is for medical decision making of moderate complexity. Code 99220 is incorrect because this code is for initial observation care of a patient requiring high complexity medical decision making. Code 99224 is incorrect because this code is for subsequent observation care and not for the initial encounter.
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