CPT code 99292

What does CPT code 99292 mean on a medical bill?

This line is the add-on for critical care that ran past the first block. Each one stands for roughly another half hour the doctor spent on you, so two or three of them means the doctor is billing for a long stretch of continuous care. Add the minutes up and compare them with your arrival and discharge times: the total cannot be longer than you were actually in the department, and it cannot overlap with time billed for another patient.

What does CPT code 99292 usually cost?

Priced by the block of time, so the cost multiplies with every line. The hospital's own critical care charge for the room and equipment is a separate line from the doctor's, and often arrives on a separate statement.

What should I watch out for with CPT code 99292?

• More billed minutes than the hours you were in the department
• Add-on blocks billed without the first block, or before the first block was fully used
• Critical care minutes claimed by two different doctors for the same stretch of time