Question

question 23

what e/m code range is reported when a patient is admitted to the hospital in the morning and discharged home on the same day in the evening?

99234-99236
99231-99233
99221-99223
99238-99239

Explanation:

Identify the clinical scenario

The patient is admitted to the hospital and discharged home on the same calendar date (morning admission, evening discharge).

Determine the appropriate CPT code range

For patients admitted and discharged on the same date, CPT guidelines direct the use of the Same-Day Observation or Inpatient Care codes (Admission and Discharge Services on the Same Date). The code range for this service is 99234–99236.

Compare with other options

• 99231–99233: Subsequent hospital care codes.
• 99221–99223: Initial hospital inpatient care codes (used when admission and discharge occur on different dates).
• 99238–99239: Hospital discharge services (used only when discharge occurs on a subsequent date).

Answer:

• (A) 99234-99236 (Correct answer)
• (B) 99231-99233
• (C) 99221-99223
• (D) 99238-99239