observation care

How Do You Code Observations?

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How Do You Code Observations? If the patient is still in observation status at the time of discharge, use 99217. If the patient is an inpatient, use codes 99238 or 99239. Remember to use observation discharge when the patient’s status is observation and use inpatient discharge when the patient’s status is inpatient. How do you

How Are Observation Stays Billed?

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How Are Observation Stays Billed? If a patient is in observation for less than eight hours on one calendar day, you would bill initial observation care codes (99218–99220). … For patients in observation for at least eight hours but fewer than 24 hours on the same calendar date, doctors can bill same-day admission and discharge