Question

mr. yates loses his yacht in a poker game and experiences a sudden onset of chest pain which radiates down his left arm. the paramedics are called to the casino he owns in atlantic city to stabilize him and transport him to the hospital. dr. h. art is in the er to direct the activities of the paramedics. he spends 30 minutes in two - way communication directing the care of mr. yates. when ems reached the hospital emergency department, mr. yates is in full arrest with torsades de pointes (ventricular tachycardia). dr. h. art spends another hour in critical care stabilizing the patient and performing cpr. the time the provider spent on cpr was 15 minutes (the cpr time was included in the one - hour critical care time). what are the appropriate procedure codes for this encounter?
o 99291, 99288
o 99291, 99292, 99288
o 92950, 99291, 99288
o 92950, 99291

Explanation:

Step1: Identify key - elements

The patient had CPR for 15 minutes and the provider had one - hour critical care time which includes the CPR time. Also, there is communication time and additional critical care time by Dr. H. Art.

Step2: Recall CPT code rules

For critical care services, different durations and activities have specific CPT codes. The 15 - minute CPR is part of the overall critical care. The total critical care time is more than 30 minutes.

Step3: Select appropriate codes

Code 99291 is for the first 30 - 74 minutes of critical care. Code 99292 is for each additional 30 minutes of critical care. Since the provider had one - hour critical care time (60 minutes) and 15 minutes was CPR within that, and Dr. H. Art spent another hour in critical care, we need to account for the initial 30 - 74 minutes (99291) and the additional time. Code 99288 is for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) which is already included in the critical care time here so we don't use it separately for billing in this context. Code 92950 is for other cardiac procedures not relevant here.

Answer:

99291, 99292