99233
Sbsq hosp ip/obs high 50
Subsequent inpatient or observation E/M, selected using high medical decision making or at least 50 minutes of qualifying total time on the encounter date.
Published by RVUDoc. Numeric data: CMS RVU26C, effective 2026-07-01. Page updated 2026-09-23. Calculation limits and editorial policy.
No national non-facility estimate is shown for this status or setting. This does not determine other payer coverage.
Compare subsequent hospital care using documented MDM or qualifying time, with current Medicare prolonged-service distinctions.
Billing guidance for 99233 is locked
- When to use it: the exact clinical situations that support billing 99233
- Documentation checklist: the 4 elements your note needs before submitting
- Common pitfalls: the 4 mistakes that get 99233 downcoded or denied
Payer notes
Verify payer-specific coverage, practitioner rules and same-day service limits. Commercial payment is not necessarily the Medicare fee schedule. Related codes may be alternatives rather than services that can be reported together. For Medicare time-selected 99233, the first G0316 unit requires 65 qualifying minutes under CMS prolonged-service counting rules. It is not automatically earned by a high MDM level.
Related codes
These include alternative services and possible add-ons. Listing codes together does not establish that they can be billed together; check the applicable edits and payer policy.
See what 99233 adds to your year
Add it to the wRVU calculator with your own volume, or paste a note and let the chart audit check your coding.