Question

QUESTION 14

Choose which of the following hospital services is considered outpatient.

	A.	Observation status for 24 hours and discharge home.
	B.	2 day admission to inpatient status with discharge to SNF.
	C.	A patient seen emergently in the ED, followed by admission to ICU.
	D.	A patient with a 5-day length of stay in the hospital's rehabilitation unit.

The hospital billing manager approaches you with concerns over the accurate coding of 12-lead EKGs. Outpatients seen at the hospital for EKG services receive the diagnostic test from an EKG tech in a designated area of the hospital. They are scheduled after physicians have created orders for the EKG. (Emergent cases are always done at the patient's bedside.)

The hospital owns the EKG machines, employs the EKG technicians, and schedules its own outpatient appointments. Several cardiologists interpret the EKGs from home and bill for their own services (they are NOT paid by the hospital).

The billing manager believes that the hospital is losing money on outpatient EKGs because they are being coded improperly. Of the following codes for EKG services, which should the HOSPITAL use for its portion of the EKG services to outpatients?

	A.	93010-EKG, 12-leads; interpretation and report only.
	B.	93000; EKG, 12-leads, with interpretation, report, and tracing. (Global charge)
	C.	93041-Rhythm EKG, 1-3 leads, tracing only, without interpretation and report.
	D.	93005-EKG, 12-leads; tracing only, without interpretation and report.

Answer 1

14.

Observation status for 24 hours and discharge home is sometimes considered as an outpatient service. It's because in this situation patients are kept in Daycare settings without being admitted in Inpatient.

Answer - A. Observation status for 24 hours and discharge home.

Other options are clearly shown inpatient status

- Option B shows 2-days admission to inpatient.

- Option C shows ICU admission

- Option D shows the 5-days length of stay in the hospital's rehabilitation unit, Which means the patient admitted in the inpatient rehabilitation center.

15.

"93000; EKG, 12-leads, with interpretation, report, and tracing" should be used by the hospital in outpatient services.

Answer - B. 93000; EKG, 12-leads, with interpretation, report, and tracing

This code is beneficial both for patients and hospitals. The hospital should mandatory report and interpretation of each ECG.