Physician documentation for office visits hasn’t changed much since the mid-1990s. CMS’ evaluation and management (E/M) codes contain specific requirements for certain elements in clinical notes. The guidelines are changing effective Jan. 1, 2021, resulting in the biggest modification to E/M codes in decades.
As it stands today, physician documentation for ambulatory visits can become filled with clinically unnecessary information – added solely to satisfy the current E/M guidelines. Many agree that it’s time for a change.
Aligned with the American Medical Association's goals to reduce physician burden, these changes are intended to help reimagine outpatient clinical documentation and take advantage of new physician efficiency opportunities.
Nordic Consulting Partners’ Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD joined with Barbara Levy, MD, Co-Chair of the AMA CPT®/RUC E/M workgroup, to shed light on how these changes will impact physicians during the first of three webinars on this topic: E/M office visit update: The future of Ambulatory Physician Documentation.
Topics covered in the webinar:
- Overview and key considerations of the 2021 E/M modifications
- What belongs in the clinic note
- Specific changes to ambulatory note templates and designs that can decrease note bloat while also ensuring accurate and appropriate coding
- How to leverage the new E/M documentation requirements to decrease the administrative burden on clinicians
Below is a recording of the webinar. After watching, if you have any questions or would like to talk about how documentation changes may affect your physician and clinical workflows, contact us at AskNordic@nordicwi.com.
