There are rules to follow when you are using "time" as your element of support for any evaluation and management (E&M) encounter. If a physician elects to report the level of care based on counseling and/or coordination of care, then a number of factors must be in the patient's medical record.

During this edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays, nationally recognized professional physician coder and auditor Terry Fletcher discusses the American Medical Association’s (AMA’s) rules, the position taken by Medicare, and how the electronic medical record (EMR) can actually assist you in your efforts.

But should time really be the new standard for supporting your patient encounters? 

The broadcast also features these other segments:

• Coding Report: Speaking of E&M coding, 2020 proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) shows a significant shift from the 2019 version. Sally Streiber, president of Practical Coding Solutions, explores the changes, including removal of 99201, how levels of service may be selected, and what “time” may mean in the future. 
  
  
• Tuesday Focus: Susan Gatehouse, CEO of Axea Solutions, returns to the broadcast to continues her reporting on the need to focus technology advancements on real transformation rather than transactional efficiency.
  
  
• News Desk: Timothy Powell, compliance expert, and ICD10monitor national correspondent anchors the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.
  
  
• TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, FACEP, CCDS, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc. and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, discusses the recent decision by a Texas federal judge to dismiss a False Claims Act lawsuit alleging that Dallas-based Baylor Scott & White Health overbilled Medicare by improperly upcoding claims.