What codes are used for inpatient?

Asked by: Cordelia Kuphal  |  Last update: August 26, 2025
Score: 4.2/5 (56 votes)

Hospital Inpatient and Observation Care Services CPT® Code range 99221- 99239. The Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code range for Hospital Inpatient and Observation Care Services 99221-99239 is a medical code set maintained by the American Medical Association.

What codes are used for inpatient coding?

Inpatient coding utilizes ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS codes to transcribe the details of a patient's visit and stay, while outpatient coding on the other hand utilizes ICD-10-CM and HCPCS Level II codes to report healthcare services.

Can CPT codes be used for inpatients?

Inpatient care is primarily coded using International Classification of Diseases (ICD) procedure codes, but some inpatient procedures are captured using Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes.

What are the CPT codes for inpatient facility?

The Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) codes for hospital inpatient and observation services are defined as initial (99221, 99222, 99223), subsequent (99231, 99232, 99233), admission and discharge same day (99234, 99235, 99236) and discharge services (99238, 99239).

How do you code inpatient visits?

if the patient is admitted for observation, codes 99218–99220 are reported. For patients receiving hospital outpatient observation services who are then admitted to the hospital as inpatients and who are discharged on the same date, the physician should report CPT codes 99234–99236.

What Is DRG & How Does It Relate to Medical Coding?

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How do I get into inpatient coding?

Inpatient coders who want to work in a hospital must be certified through the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), which offers online coding education, training, certification and credentials.

Is CPT 99223 inpatient or outpatient?

F states, “Advise physicians to use the initial hospital care codes (codes 99221–99223) to report the first hospital inpatient encounter with the patient when he or she is the admitting physician.”

How to tell if a CPT code is inpatient only?

Inpatient Only Surgery Lists​

Always use addendum B, which lists all surgeries and indicates inpatient only surgeries by a "C" in the column labeled SI, for status indicator. Non-inpatient only surgery will be SI = J1 or T. The Inpt only list will trick you!

What is modifier 22 used for?

Modifier -22: Increased Procedural Services. This modifier is used to identify a service that requires significantly greater effort, such as increased intensity, time, technical difficulty of procedure, severity of patient's condition, physical and mental effort required, than is usually needed for that procedure.

Are HCPCS used for inpatient?

Outpatient coding uses ICD-10-CM diagnostic codes and CPT or HCPCS codes, which specifically apply to services and supplies provided in the outpatient setting. Documentation plays a key role in assigning CPT and HCPCS codes. Inpatient coding is more complex than outpatient coding.

How hard is inpatient coding?

High Complexity: Inpatient coding involves analyzing detailed medical records and assigning codes for complex cases, providing a challenging and intellectually stimulating work environment.

What are inpatient CPT consult codes?

Inpatient or Observation Consultations CPT® Code range 99252- 99255. The Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code range for Inpatient or Observation Consultations 99252-99255 is a medical code set maintained by the American Medical Association.

What does HCC mean in coding?

HCCs, or Hierarchical Condition Categories, are sets of medical codes that are linked to specific clinical diagnoses.

What is a hospital inpatient coder?

Inpatient Coders Overview & Description

Classify medical and healthcare concepts, including diagnosis, procedures, medical services, and equipment, into the healthcare industry's numerical coding system.

What is sequenced first in inpatient coding?

Certain conditions have both an underlying etiology and multiple body system manifestations due to the underlying etiology. For such conditions, the ICD-9- CM has a coding convention that requires the underlying condition be sequenced first followed by the manifestation.

How many codes are used in hospital?

It establishes 11 colour codes to denote different emergency situations like fire, cardiac arrest, disasters, evacuations, and more. The codes are meant to quickly convey essential information to staff while minimizing stress and panic for patients.

What is the 59 modifier used for?

Modifier 59 Distinct Procedural Service indicates that a procedure is separate and distinct from another procedure on the same date of service. Typically, this modifier is applied to a procedure code that is not ordinarily paid separately from the first procedure but should be paid per the specifics of the situation.

What is a 55 modifier used for?

Postoperative management only. Use this modifier to indicate that payment for the postoperative, post-discharge care is split between two or more physicians where the physicians agree on the transfer of postoperative care.

What codes are used for inpatient billing?

  • 99221-99223. Initial Hospital Inpatient or Observation Care.
  • 99231-99233. Subsequent Hospital Inpatient or Observation Care.
  • 99234-99236. Hospital Inpatient or Observation Care Services (Including Admission and Discharge Services)
  • 99238-99239. Hospital Inpatient or Observation Discharge Services.

What is the inpatient only list?

The Inpatient Only (IPO) list is a list of Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes and descriptions that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) releases each year. The IPO list details procedures that Medicare may cover as inpatient care.

What is modifier CA used for?

The patient has an emergent, life-threatening condition. A procedure on the inpatient-only list is performed on an emergency basis (either in the emergency room or the operating room) to resuscitate or stabilize the patient). The patient dies or is transferred without being admitted as an inpatient.

Can CPT codes be used for inpatient?

What coding sets are used for Inpatient versus Outpatient coding? For the most part, Outpatient uses Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) for procedures, while Inpatient utilizes ICD-10-PCS (AMA, 2022).

When to use fs modifier?

Modifier FS is required for all split/shared visits. Critical Care can be split/shared billed. performed in order to bill under the physician's name at 100%. the diagnosis and treatment plan or other medical decision.

What is 57 modifier?

CPT modifier 57 may be used to report the decision for surgery for certain codes. This modifier may be used to indicate that an evaluation and management (E/M) service performed on the same day or the day before a major surgery (090 global days) by the surgeon resulted in the decision to perform the procedure.