If a physician sees a patient in the morning and then discharges them later, what is the appropriate action?

In the scenario where a physician sees a patient in the morning and then discharges them later in the day, the appropriate action is to report only the discharge code. This is because the discharge code encompasses the visit and the physician's final evaluation of the patient prior to discharge. Discharge coding is meant to capture the totality of the patient’s interaction and includes the components of the visit, which involves the assessment and planning for discharge, thus it reflects the overall encounter more accurately.

In situations where a physician has been involved in more than one visit within a single day, such encounters typically classify as a single continuous stay. The discharge code would comprehensively account for all actions taken by the physician throughout the day, such as the initial evaluation and the discharge planning. Therefore, reporting both the visit and discharge codes would lead to duplication and misrepresentation of the services provided. The focus on the discharge code alone is consistent with coding guidelines aimed at avoiding unnecessary complexity and ensuring clear conveyance of the physician's services.