New Time Requirements for Prolonged Service by Clinical Staff

This article provides information on changes to the criteria for reporting prolonged clinical staff services in office and other outpatient settings using codes 99415 and 99416. Time requirements for prolonged clinical staff service have changed for services provided in 2023. Prolonged service time is based on the amount of time spent by clinical staff that is beyond the typical clinical staff time for the related office or other outpatient evaluation and management (E/M) service. Prolonged clinical staff services may be reported for simultaneous services provided to 2 patients, but the time reported for each patient must have been devoted to the single patient. The following topics are discussed: – Defining prolonged clinical staff services – Changes to reporting in 2023 – Understanding time requirements for prolonged clinical staff services