E&M Medical Coding - How to Level E&M Code (Part 1)

UPDATED VIDEO: • 2021 E&M Medical Codin...
E&M Medical Coding - How to Level E&M Code (Part 1)
You can find Part 2 here:
• E&M Medical Coding - H...
And you can find our updated E/M OnDemand class at:
www.cco.us/club
Laureen: How to Level an E&M Code:
Q: Would it be possible to briefly go over your E&M leveling tool? Where I work, the providers level the visits. I code all diagnosis codes and add the appropriate modifiers.
So I’m really weak on being able to level E&M.
A: I can’t promise the briefly part, but I will definitely share my technique for doing E&M leveling.
Basically, this is a system I teach, this is actually how I got in doing my “Review Blitz,” I started tutoring people that were struggling with E&M back in the day. I took my exam in 1999, the E&M questions on the board were like 25, now they’re 10. So a lot of people were failing the exam just because of the E&M, so I would do tutoring and then I came up with this system and it really worked and so many students were like, “I finally get E&M!” So, hopefully, you’ll get that “aha!” moment tonight. If not, we do have a three hour class on E&M that’s on “On Demand” and it’s this system that I go over in a little bit slower.
One of the first things that I would teach you to do, if you’re one of my students is to mark up your E&M section of your CPT manual. I’m a very visual learner, I need visual cues to help me; so, I did this to help myself.
So, the four possible letters that you would be writing next to your History Bullet is PEDC and the same for Exam, which stands for Problem Focused, Expanded Problem Focused, Detailed or Comprehensive. And then, SLMH for the Medical Decision Making, which stands for Straightforward, Low, Moderate, High. Then, the other notation that you want to make is whether or not the particular code is a “3 of 3” code or “2 of 3” code. I’m going to explain all this, so if you’re scratching your head, hang with me here.
My system, what I call it is “Locate your HEM and Time.” It’s the little rhyme that I teach my students and I actually tell them on their exam booklets or in real world, a scratch piece of paper, Post-It, or whatever, write this down: Locate ___ (with a line next to it), H, E, M all with their own line, which stands for History, Exam, and Medical Decision Making - which are the three key elements of E&M coding and then Time. Sometimes, Time can be the controlling factor, not the HEM (History, Exam, and Medical Decision Making). The “locate” of course is the category and sub-category of the E&M: Was it an office new patient? Was it a hospital ER? That sort of thing.
Get more medical coding training, medical coding tips, medical coding certification and free medical coding webinars at www.cco.us/

[@matta3094]

Thank you so much for your 2 cpt coding video's. It was very clear and you made it easier for me to comprehend.!!

[@kimpagano538]

Thank you for sharing your method on E&M. You definitely helped me obtain the "Ah Ha" feeling. You make it very easy to understand and I love your method.

[@notarypublic6915]

Hi Lauren, Were you the only one that came up with this theory? It is GENIUS. I took a weekend class and this is the same theory they used. Just wondering.

[@tinachetan]

Thank you so much for your video. I was able to understand E & M coding a lot better and found it very helpful.

[@chippyphilip4458]

Thank you so much..I learned enm easily from your vedios...

[@bluefoxxcosplay4754]

I could see it being convenient, but I don't even know how to figure out if it is detailed or expanded....just going by the physician's notes in the example problem that I had in my book...That's where my issue is. :/

[@CWdudeyo]

HiLiter Yello same 🙁

[@555alaina]

Thank you so much!!!

[@jeswinjose3506]

really helpful...

[@kaylaeads8388]

Do you have the option to just buy a copy of your notes?

[@princessbejai3276]

Here in 2021 to refresh

[@tooxclusive1]

Is it possible that you can give the codes to the worksheet that you were doing? I am trying to do them and would like to be able to see if my answers are correct.

[@tinahyde98]

These tips make sense when I'm watching your videos, but trying to go by the scenarios with the online course I'm in, I always get everything wrong. I have watched every video I can find, emailed people, but although I have done well and enjoyed coding until e/m coding, I just can't grasp it and I am so very frustrated with it. I just don't know what to do to get it to click with me. I wish everyone else the best with it!

[@CWdudeyo]

Tina Morgan same ☹️

[@raniyuva1006]

it very nice topic

[@CWdudeyo]

That’s the problem! They don’t tell us the levels in the real world. ☹️☹️☹️