A:
Upcoding can exist in the selection of the Evaluation and Management codes (99000 series) which are used for office and hospital visits. In 1992, the Physicians Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) was revised to include specific time elements for each level of visit, specific clinical examples and a definition of what the patient's condition should be if a higher level code is selected. There are 5 levels of office visits, for both new patients and established patients. The level of office visit is determined by the number of diagnoses, the complexity of the case, the risk of complications or morbidity and the complexity of the decision making--straight-forward, low, moderate or high.