Question

question 21

a 90-year-old female was admitted this morning from observation status for chest pain to r/o angina. a cardiologist performs a history and exam. her chest pain has been relieved with the nitroglycerin drip given before admission and she would like to go home. doctor has written prescriptions to add to her regimen. he had given her isosorbide, and she is tolerating it well. after 10 hrs of observation, he will go ahead and send her home. he will follow up with her in a week. patient was admitted and discharged on the same date of service. what cpt® code is reported?

99235
99238
99221
99217

Explanation:

Identify the clinical scenario and service type

The patient was admitted to inpatient status from observation status and discharged on the same date of service ("Patient was admitted and discharged on the same date of service"). This requires a code from the CPT range for same-day hospital inpatient or observation care (admission and discharge services on the same date).

Determine the correct CPT code range

For patients admitted and discharged on the same date of service, the appropriate CPT code range is 99234–99236 (Observation or Inpatient Hospital Care, Including Admission and Discharge Services on the Same Date).

Select the matching option

Among the given choices:

• 99235 belongs to the same-day admission and discharge code range (99234–99236).
• 99238 is for hospital discharge day management (used when discharge is on a different day).
• 99221 is for initial hospital inpatient care (used when admission and discharge are on different days).
• 99217 is for observation care discharge services (used when discharge is on a different day).

Therefore, 99235 is the correct code.

Answer:

• (A) 99235 (Correct answer)
• (B) 99238
• (C) 99221
• (D) 99217