Question

question 10

a patient is seen by dr. b who is covering on call services for dr. a. the patient is an established patient with dr. a. but she has not been seen by dr. b. before. which e/m subcategory is appropriate to report the services provided by dr. b?

new patient office visit
office consultation
established patient office visit
preventive medicine visit

Explanation:

Analyze CPT guidelines for on-call covering physicians

According to CPT Evaluation and Management (E/M) guidelines, when an on-call or covering physician provides services to a patient on behalf of another physician, the patient's encounter is classified in the same manner as if the primary physician had seen them.

Determine patient status

The patient is an established patient with Dr. A. Because Dr. B is covering on-call services for Dr. A, the patient is billed as an established patient for Dr. B's services, even though Dr. B has not personally seen this patient before.

Match with correct E/M subcategory

The appropriate E/M subcategory to report the office encounter is an established patient office visit.

Answer:

• (A) New patient office visit
• (B) Office consultation
• (C) Established patient office visit (Correct answer)
• (D) Preventive medicine visit