Appendix 1. Audit Worksheets
Evaluation and Management Services Worksheets Office and Other Outpatient Services Audit Worksheet The following worksheet may be used to collect the necessary data when auditing a medical record for office and other outpatient services (99202-99205 and 99212-99215). Practices can choose to create a custom audit worksheet for each type of E/M service (e.g., office, hospital inpatient or observation care, nursing facility visit, etc.) as in this example, or they can create one audit worksheet for all E/M services.
Appendix 1. Audit Worksheets
Medical Decision Making
| Code/Level of MDM (Based on 2 out of 3 Elements of MDM) | Level of MDM (Based on 2 out of 3 Elements of MDM) Number and Complexity of Problems Addressed | Amount and/or Complexity of Data to be Reviewed and Analyzed Each unique test, order, or document contributes to the combination of 2 or combination of 3 in Category 1 below. | Risk of Complications and/or Morbidity or Mortality of Patient Management |
|---|---|---|---|
| 99211 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Straightforward | Minimal ☐ 1 self-limited or minor problem | ☐ Minimal or none | ☐ Minimal risk of morbidity from additional diagnostic testing or treatment |
| Low | Low ☐ 2 or more self-limited or minor problems; or ☐ 1 stable chronic illness; or ☐ 1 acute, uncomplicated illness or injury; or ☐ 1 stable, acute illness; or ☐ 1 acute, uncomplicated illness or injury requiring hospital inpatient or observation level of care | ☐ Limited (Must meet the requirements of at least 1 of the 2 categories) ☐ Category 1: Tests and documents • Any combination of 2 from the following: - Review of prior external note(s) from each unique source* - Review of the result(s) of each unique test* - Ordering of each unique test* or ☐ Category 2: Assessment requiring an independent historian(s) (For the categories of independent interpretation of tests and discussion of management or test interpretation, see moderate or high) | ☐ Low risk of morbidity from additional diagnostic testing or treatment |
| Moderate | Moderate ☐ 1 or more chronic illnesses with exacerbation, progression, or side effects of treatment; or ☐ 2 or more stable chronic illnesses; or ☐ 1 undiagnosed new problem with uncertain prognosis; or ☐ 1 acute illness with systemic symptoms; or ☐ 1 acute, complicated injury | ☐ Moderate (Must meet the requirements of at least 1 out of 3 categories) ☐ Category 1: Tests, documents, or independent historian(s) • Any combination of 3 from the following: - Review of prior external note(s) from each unique source* - Review of the result(s) of each unique test* - Ordering of each unique test* - Assessment requiring an independent historian(s) or ☐ Category 2: Independent interpretation of tests - Independent interpretation of a test performed by another physician/other qualified health care professional (not separately reported) or ☐ Category 3: Discussion of management or test interpretation - Discussion of management or test interpretation with external physician/other qualified health care professional/appropriate source (not separately reported) | ☐ Moderate risk of morbidity from additional diagnostic testing or treatment Examples only: - Prescription drug management - Decision regarding minor surgery with identified patient or procedure risk factors - Decision regarding elective major surgery without identified patient or procedure risk factors - Diagnosis or treatment significantly limited by social determinants of health |
| High | High ☐ 1 or more chronic illnesses with severe exacerbation, progression, or side effects of treatment; or ☐ 1 acute or chronic illness or injury that poses a threat to life or bodily function | Extensive (Must meet the requirements of at least 2 out of 3 categories) ☐ Category 1: Tests, documents, or independent historian(s) • Any combination of 3 from the following: - Review of prior external note(s) from each unique source*; - Review of the result(s) of each unique test*; - Ordering of each unique test*; - Assessment requiring an independent historian(s) or ☐ Category 2: Independent interpretation of tests - Independent interpretation of a test performed by another physician/other qualified health care professional (not separately reported) or ☐ Category 3: Discussion of management or test interpretation - Discussion of management or test interpretation with external physician/other qualified health care professional/appropriate source (not separately reported) | ☐ High risk of morbidity from additional diagnostic testing or treatment Examples only: - Drug therapy requiring intensive monitoring for toxicity - Decision regarding elective major surgery with identified patient or procedure risk factors - Decision regarding emergency major surgery - Decision regarding hospitalization or escalation of hospital-level care - Decision not to resuscitate or to de-escalate care because of poor prognosis - Decision regarding parenteral controlled substance |
| Audit Worksheets |
Office and Other Outpatient Services Audit Worksheet - Time Only Reporting
| Record Number | DOS billed | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attending | Signed | Yes ☐ | No ☐ | DOS Rendered | |||
| History | Was a medically appropriate history documented? | Yes ☐ | No ☐ | ||||
| Examination | Was a medically appropriate exam documented? | Yes ☐ | No ☐ | ||||
| Code | History & Exam | Medical Decision Making | Time in Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 99202 | Medically appropriate | Straightforward | ≥ 15 |
| 99203 | Medically appropriate | Low level | ≥ 30 |
| 99204 | Medically appropriate | Moderate level | ≥ 45 |
| 99205 | Medically appropriate | High level | ≥ 60 |
| 99211* | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 99212 | Medically appropriate | Straightforward | ≥ 10 |
| 99213 | Medically appropriate | Low level | ≥ 20 |
| 99214 | Medically appropriate | Moderate level | ≥ 30 |
| 99215 | Medically appropriate | High level | ≥ 40 |
*Physician presence is not required; presenting problems are minimal
The following activities are included in the provider’s time when performed: ☐ Preparing to see the patient (e.g., review of tests) ☐ Performing a medically appropriate examination and/or evaluation ☐ Care coordination (not reported separately) ☐ Counseling and educating the patient/family/caregiver ☐ Documenting clinical information in the electronic or other health record ☐ Independently interpreting results (not reported separately) and communicating results to the patient/family/caregiver ☐ Obtaining and/or reviewing separately obtained history ☐ Ordering medications, tests, or procedures ☐ Referring and communicating with other health care professionals
Was code 99417 reported for prolonged services? Yes ☐ No ☐ The table below shows the time required to report each unit of 99417 in addition to 99205 of 99215.
| New Patient | Code |
|---|---|
| 60-74 minutes | 99205 |
| 75-89 minutes | 99205 x1 and 99417 x1 |
| 90-104 minutes | 99205 x1 and 99417 x2 |
| 105 or more minutes | 99205 x1 and 99417 x3 or more for each additional 15 minutes |
| Established Patient | Code |
| 40-54 minutes | 99215 |
| 55-69 minutes | 99215 x1 and 99417 x1 |
| 70-84 minutes | 99215 x1 and 99417 x2 |
| 85 or more minutes | 99215 x1 and 99417 x3 or more for each additional 15 minutes |
Appendix 1. Audit Worksheets
Medicine Auditing Worksheet
Account/medical record number: ____________ Date of service: ____________
Reviewer: ____________ Date of review: ____________
Type of review: ____________
Immunizations/Vaccines/Toxoids — CPT® Code Assignment
| Substance | Code Assignment | Code Documented | Face-to-Face Counseling Documented | E/M Service Documented | E/M Service Billed | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Therapeutic/Prophylactic Injections — CPT Code Assignment
| Substance | Code Assignment | Code Documented | Face-to-Face Counseling Documented | E/M Service Documented | E/M Service Billed | HCPCS Level II Code Reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number of Units
| Billed | Documented | Comments |
|---|---|---|
Other Medical Services — CPT Code Assignment
| Procedure | Code Assignment | Code Documented | Modifier Assigned | Modifier Documented | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Place of Service
| Indicated on Claim | Documented | Indicated on Claim | Documented |
|---|---|---|---|
Number of Units
Billable Supplies
| Undercoding | Overcoding | Undercoding | Overcoding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Code | Payment | Code | Payment |
Total Impact on Claim
Crystal's MCW Coder Hub