Cardiology, coded right.

99214 is the workhorse of primary care and most outpatient subspecialties. Use it when at least one of these is true: two or more chronic problems with progression, treatment changes, or side effects; one undiagnosed new problem with uncertain prognosis; one acute illness with systemic symptoms; or prescription drug management at any complexity. Prescription drug management on its own satisfies the moderate-risk element, which is why straightforward chronic disease follow-ups with a med adjustment routinely clear the 99214 bar. Time-based alternative is 30 to 39 minutes of total time on the date of the encounter. Pick the method that supports the strongest note: encounters with prescription changes are usually cleaner under MDM; encounters with extensive counseling or care coordination are usually cleaner under time.

Use 99215 when the encounter genuinely required high-complexity decision-making: severe exacerbation or decompensation of a chronic illness, an acute or chronic illness or injury that poses a threat to life or bodily function, decision regarding hospitalization, drug therapy requiring intensive monitoring for toxicity, or extensive comorbidity management driving a high-risk decision. Real examples: a CHF patient with new bilateral leg edema and dyspnea where you considered emergency admission; a new-onset AFib with RVR you elected to manage outpatient with same-day rate-control titration; an oncology patient with febrile neutropenia. Time-based alternative is 40 to 54 minutes of total time on the date of the encounter.

G2211 is the continuity add-on. Append it to an office E/M (99202 through 99215) under one of two conditions: you are the continuing focal point for all of the patient's health care (the primary-care framing), OR you are the ongoing care provider for a patient's single serious condition or a complex condition (the subspecialty framing). Common eligible scenarios: a routine primary care follow-up for chronic disease management; an endocrinology continuity visit for diabetes; an oncology survivorship visit; a rheumatology disease-modifying-medication monitoring visit; a nephrology follow-up for CKD progression. Ineligible scenarios: one-time consults, urgent care visits, hospital follow-up where you are not the longitudinal provider, and visits where modifier 25 is appended to the primary E/M (explicitly prohibited).

Global EKG in your office: you own the machine and provide interpretation. Use 93005 if technical only, 93010 if interpretation only.

Professional component — you interpret a tracing acquired elsewhere (ED, inpatient, outside clinic).

Complete TTE with both spectral and color Doppler. The default outpatient TTE code.

Professional/technical split stress echo, typically in a hospital outpatient setting. In-office global use 93351.

Global in-office stress echo. Includes resting and post-stress TTE, supervision, interpretation.

Hospital outpatient or other setting where you supervise but don't own the equipment.

Interpretation of a stress test you supervised elsewhere.

48-hour Holter monitor performed in the office (you own the device).