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Q&A: Does aggressive pain management raise the visit level?

Q: A patient comes into the ED with sickle cell crisis and is in a lot of pain. The physician states the patient needed “aggressive” pain control for treatment, because what was given in the beginning provided only minimal relief. Could I code using CPT® code 99285 (ED visit for evaluation and management of a patient, including a comprehensive history, comprehensive exam, and high complexity medical decision making)?

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