{"id":15281,"date":"2022-03-25T19:16:27","date_gmt":"2022-03-25T19:16:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.medicalbillersandcoders.com\/blog\/?p=15281"},"modified":"2026-05-15T13:10:05","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T07:40:05","slug":"can-you-bill-multiple-e-m-visits-in-same-day-for-same-patient","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.medicalbillersandcoders.com\/blog\/can-you-bill-multiple-e-m-visits-in-same-day-for-same-patient\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Bill Multiple E\/M Visits in Same Day for Same Patient?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Multiple E&M visits on the same day for the same patient address instances when a physician(s) or other qualified health care professional(s) reports a single code for multiple medical and\/or Evaluation and Management (E\/M) services for a patient on a single date of service. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

General E\/M Code Procedure:<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

Generally, a single E\/M code should be used to report all services provided for a patient on each given day. However, in some cases, a provider may perform more than one office or outpatient E\/M service for a patient on the same day.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

New patient E\/M codes 99202- 99205 and established patient E\/M codes 99211-99215 don\u2019t state \u2018per day\u2019 in their descriptors, but payer rules may prevent you from reporting more than one E\/M code for a single patient on the same date of service.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

For reference, we shared \u2018The Medicare Claims Processing Manual, chapter 12, section 30.6.7.B, i.e., office\/outpatient E\/M visits provided on the same day for unrelated problems.<\/p>\r\n

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Strategies for Resolving Legacy AR in Plstic Surgery Practice<\/a><\/h3>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

The para states that<\/strong> as for all other E\/M services except where expressly noted, the Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) may not pay two E\/M office visits billed by a physician (or physician of the same specialty from the same group practice) for the same beneficiary on the same day unless the physician documents that the visits were for unrelated problems in the office, off the campus-outpatient hospital, or on campus-outpatient hospital setting which could not be provided during the same encounter (e.g., an office visit for blood pressure medication evaluation, followed five hours later by a visit in the assessment of leg pain following an accident). <\/span><\/p>\r\n

To support reporting the services separately, you must maintain distinct documentation for each service. You must also check payer preference for which modifier to append to the additional E\/M code, such as modifier 25 or 59.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

If a provider sees the patient twice on the same day for related problems, the payer doesn\u2019t allow you to report those services separately. You should combine the work performed for the two visits and select a single E\/M service code that best describes the combined service. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

For example,<\/strong> if a patient comes in with elevated blood pressure, the physician may give the patient medication and then have her return later that day to see how she is doing. In this case, because the visits are for the same complaint, you should combine the work performed for the two trips into a single E\/M code.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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Strategies for Managing Legacy AR in US Healthcare Billing<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

Related Terminologies:<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n