The CPT® Evaluation and Management (E/M) office visit codes (99201-99215) are the most-commonly billed codes in medicine, representing nearly a quarter of Medicare Part B spend annually. Changes to the visit codes for office visits become effective January 2021. They include extensive E/M guideline additions, and revisions.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ recently announced that Evaluation and Management (E/M) visits will soon get some relief from burdensome coding and billing requirements. These billing and documentation requirements for E/M codes were established 20 years ago and have been subject to longstanding criticism from clinicians that they do not reflect current care practices and needs.