Identify and explain the types of codes used for office and other outpatient services

What will be an ideal response?

Answer:
There are different codes for new and established patients. In general, codes for new patients (99201–99205) carry a higher unit value since the physician is expected to spend additional time completing initial paperwork on the patient and performing a more in-depth history and physical. Because of this, medical billers and claims examiners should determine whether a patient has previously seen the physician before processing a claim for a new patient. A new patient is considered to be one who has not received any services from this provider, or from another provider of the same specialty and subspecialty who belongs to the same group practice, for the last three years. If a provider is on call or is covering for another provider, the patient is classified as they would be for the provider who is not available.