Observation coding question…..Patient is in Observation and is being followed by the Hospital Med staff. They call for a consult to nephrology on day 1 and the nephrologist bills out a consultation/new patient visit.
The second day the patients gets a dialysis treatment.
Patient is still in observation status on the third day and the nephrologist does a follow-up. Would he bill an established outpatient code 99212-99215 or a subsequent observation code 99224-99226?