99232
Subseq hosp inpt/obs mod 35 min
Subsequent hospital inpatient or observation care, per day, moderate-level medical decision making or 35 minutes of total time. CMS 2026 wRVU 1.39. The workhorse code in adult hospital medicine: the most-billed subsequent-care code by hospitalists, comparable in importance to 99214 in primary care.
Hospitalist subsequent visits split between 99232 (moderate) and 99233 (high). Here are the time thresholds, MDM elements, and the decision tree.
Billing guidance for 99232 is locked
- When to use it: the exact clinical situations that support billing 99232
- Documentation checklist: the 5 elements your note needs before submitting
- Common pitfalls: the 5 mistakes that get 99232 downcoded or denied
Payer notes
Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans pay 99232 at the standard PFS allowable. Commercial payers usually mirror this. The 99232-to-99233 ratio is one of the most-audited deltas in hospital medicine; expect post-payment review at clinician panel-level 99233 rates above 40 percent.