Is 99213 preventive?
Asked by: Dr. Henri Orn II | Last update: September 29, 2025Score: 4.5/5 (42 votes)
What is considered a preventive doctor visit?
A medical preventive visit is a yearly doctor's appointment intended to prevent illnesses and detect health concerns early, before symptoms are noticeable. Preventive visits could be an annual physical, well-child exam, Medicare wellness exam or welcome to Medicare visit.
When should 99213 be billed?
CPT code 99213 is used for an established patient office or other outpatient visit that requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and low level of medical decision-making along with 20 minutes of encounter time.
What CPT codes are considered preventive?
Preventive visit codes 99381-99397 include “counseling/anticipatory guidance/risk factor reduction interventions,” according to CPT. However, when such counseling is provided as part of a separate problem-oriented encounter, it may be billed using preventive medicine codes 99401-99409.
Is 99213 a preventive code?
However, if you bill an additional office visit code (for example, 15 minute expanded problem visit code 99213 with modifier 25), this is NOT considered a preventive service, and may be subject to deductibles, copays or coinsurance.
What is a level 3 or 2 office / outpatient visit in medical coding? 99213 & 99203 explained
Can you bill a preventive visit with an office visit?
Physicians are not prohibited from coding and billing for both preventive and problem-focused E/M services when they are performed during the same appointment.
Is CPT code 99213 covered by Medicare?
Medicare will pay a physician for an AWV service and a medically necessary service, e.g. a mid-level established office visit, Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code 99213, furnished during a single beneficiary encounter.
What is considered an office visit for insurance?
What is included in an “office visit?” The purpose of an “office visit” is to discuss, evaluate, and treat a SPECIFIC health concern or condition or chronic problem that has changed. This type of visit may include lab work, X-rays or additional tests related to your health concern.
What is the difference between 99213 and 99214 in 2024?
Code 99213 typically represents a visit involving low to moderate complexity and shorter duration, while 99214 indicates a visit with moderate to high complexity and longer duration.
What is an example of a 99213 visit?
An example of a 99203 or 99213 is a sinus infection treated with an antibiotic. Although the prescription makes the risk component moderate, the one acute uncomplicated illness is a low-complexity problem, and there are no data points.
Can you bill 99213 for telehealth?
During the COVID-19 public health emergency, many physiatrists are performing standard office visits via telehealth. These services should be billed using standard E/M codes. For example, a level 3 office visit provided to an established patient via telehealth should be billed using code 99213.
What is the billing rule for 99214?
- Medical Necessity. ...
- Present Illness Documentation. ...
- Chief Complaint. ...
- Review Symptoms. ...
- Detailed Physical Exam. ...
- Past, Family and Social History. ...
- In-depth History. ...
- Medical Decision Making.
Why did my insurance not cover my doctor visit?
In some cases, the service simply isn't covered by the plan. In other cases, necessary prior authorization wasn't obtained, the provider wasn't in-network, or the claim was coded incorrectly.
Why am I being charged for an office visit?
The purpose of an office visit is to discuss or get treated for a specific health concern or condition. You may have to pay for the visit as part of your deductible, copay and/or coinsurance.
What is not considered preventive care?
ANSWER: If the physician orders lab work during a preventive care visit, some of the tests may be covered as preventive care, such as a cholesterol screening. However, other blood chemistry panels, such as anemia screening, kidney or liver function, would not be covered as preventive care.
What are the two categories of office visits?
There are two main categories for doctor visits. The first is called E&M (evaluation and management) and is when you need treatment for an active disease such as the flu, ear ache, bladder infection, diabetes or high blood pressure. The second type is a preventive visit, also called a physical or checkup.
What is the difference between an appointment and an office visit?
An appointment is something you do to make something in a certain timespan now or in the future to have a possible contact with the clinic or anyone in the Clinic. A Visit is a result of an appointment and can be anything that that client has to do in the clinic for any sort of car.
What is the difference between an annual wellness visit and a preventive visit?
The prevention plan includes a screening schedule for preventive services to help the patient maintain their health and prevent potential illnesses. An annual physical includes a wellness exam and a full physical exam including blood work, lab tests and vaccinations.
What level of service is 99213?
The 99213 CPT code represents a medical evaluation and management (E/M) service provided by physicians. This code is used to document and bill for a level three office visit, which involves a face-to-face encounter with the patient for the evaluation and treatment of a new or existing problem.
Is 99213 an office visit?
CPT® code 99213: Established patient office or other outpatient visit, 20-29 minutes.
What is considered a preventive visit?
You schedule preventive visits which are annual physicals, well child exams and wellness exams to help prevent or detect any health concerns. This is also known as your annual wellness exam or annual health maintenance exam.
Can I bill 99396 and 99213 together?
The physician documents the extra work, then bills code 99396 for a periodic preventive medicine visit for a patient age 40–64 and E/M code 99213 for addressing two acute illnesses (fatigue and insomnia) and ordering two labs. The physician adds modifier 25 to the E/M code.
Does Medicare pay for preventive visits?
Medicare pays for many preventive services to keep you healthy.