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    v1.0.30
    OpenPayerBilling CodesProlonged Clinical Staff Services With Physician or Other Qualified Health Care Professional SupervisionCPT cpt-99415-additional-clinical-staff-time-outpatient-e-m
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    CPT 99415: Clinical Staff Time for Office/Outpatient E/M

    Medicare pays $24 on average nationally for this procedure.

    CPT code 99415 describes additional clinical staff time spent directly with the patient, under a supervising provider, for an office or outpatient evaluation and management service and is used to report the first hour of extra staff time provided as part of an E/M visit; service type: clinical staff time for E/M services; typical site of service: office or outpatient clinic.

    For related coverage guidance, see recent payer policy updates: Percutaneous Electrical Nerve Field Stimulation for Functional Abdominal Pain Disorders, Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) Coverage Policy, Radiofrequency Therapy for Fecal Incontinence.

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    Table of contents

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    Clinical & Coding Specifications

    Clinical Context

    A 58-year-old patient with multiple chronic conditions (for example, congestive heart failure and diabetes) presents to an outpatient cardiology clinic for worsening exertional dyspnea and medication review. The clinician’s licensed clinical staff (medical assistant or nurse) spends an additional supervised hour providing direct patient contact during the same office visit to perform extended education, medication reconciliation, home monitoring setup, and care coordination. Activities include extended vitals and symptom assessment, teaching inhaler or diuretic dosing, remote monitoring device instruction, arranging durable medical equipment, contacting the patient’s primary care practice and pharmacy, and documenting time and interventions in the medical record under direct physician supervision. The supervising provider remains responsible for the evaluation and management service; the additional staff time is billed using 99415 for the first hour of extra direct patient contact by clinical staff under supervision. Typical site of service is an office or outpatient clinic. Typical modifiers to consider include 25 when a significant, separate E/M is provided, and 59 when distinct procedural services occur on the same date. Common payors include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, BUCA, and Medicare.

    Related CPT Codes

    • The following CPT codes are commonly performed in the same outpatient workflow as 99415.
    CPT CodeDescriptionRelationship to This Procedure
    99214Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient, typically 25 minutesRepresents the supervising provider’s E/M visit that may be associated with additional supervised staff time billed with 99415 when staff spend extra time with the patient
    99406Smoking and tobacco use cessation counseling visit, intermediate, greater than 3 minutes up to 10 minutesExample of a counseling service that clinical staff may provide during extended contact; may be reported adjunctively per payer rules
    99091Collection and interpretation of physiologic data digitally stored and/or transmitted by the patient, requiring a physician or other qualified health care professionalMay follow extended staff teaching for home monitoring device setup documented during the 99415 session
    99490Chronic care management services, at least 20 minutes of clinical staff time directed by a physician or other qualified health care professional, per calendar monthReflects related care management programs where clinical staff time and care coordination overlap with services billed by 99415
    99358

    Related Modifiers

    9 rows

    ModifierDescriptionWhen to Use
    25CPT modifier 25 indicates that on the same day as another procedure or service, the same physician or other qualified health care professional provided a significant, separately identifiable…- When to apply: Use modifier 25 only on an E/M code to indicate the same provider delivered a significant, separately identifiable E/M service on the same day as another procedure or service — i.e.,…
    59Modifier 59 indicates a distinct procedural service when two procedures that are not normally billed together are clinically and procedurally separate. The CPT definition (as reiterated by CMS)…- Use modifier -59 to report a distinct procedural service when documentation supports that the procedure reported is not normally billed together with another service on the same day because of a…
    52Modifier ‑52 (Reduced Services) indicates that a service or procedure was partially reduced or omitted at the provider’s discretion, allowing reporting of the basic procedure number with a qualifier…- Use modifier -52 when a physician or qualified health professional electively reduces or omits part of a procedure or service (for example, performing fewer required views or omitting a portion of…
    53Modifier 53 (Discontinued Procedure) signals that a surgical or diagnostic service was begun by the physician but terminated because of extenuating circumstances that threatened the patient’s…- Use modifier -53 when a physician/qualified healthcare professional has started a surgical or diagnostic procedure (e.g., anesthesia administered, incision or scope insertion) and then discontinues…
    22Modifier –22 (Increased Procedural Services) is used when a reported procedure is substantially more extensive than normally required. The CPT Manual and CMS state it may be appended only when the…- When to use: Append modifier -22 to a procedural CPT code when the service performed is substantially more extensive than the usual service described by that code — i.e., the procedure required…
    23Modifier -23 (Unusual Anesthesia) is used on anesthesia service CPT codes when a procedure that normally requires no anesthesia or only local anesthesia must be performed under general anesthesia…- Use modifier -23 only on anesthesia CPT codes (00100–01999) when a procedure that normally requires no anesthesia or only local anesthesia must be performed under general anesthesia because of…
    62Modifier 62 indicates that two surgeons function as co‑surgeons, each performing distinct parts of the same primary surgical procedure. It is appended to the primary procedure code (and any…- Use modifier -62 when two surgeons act as co‑surgeons (both primary surgeons) on a single definitive primary procedure, each performing distinct parts of the same surgical procedure (append -62 to…
    76Modifier -76, Repeat Procedure or Service by Same Physician or Other Qualified Health Care Professional, is appended when the same provider performs an identical, medically necessary procedure or…- Use modifier -76 when the same physician or other qualified health care professional performs an identical procedure or service a second (or subsequent) time on the same date of service and the…
    77Modifier 77 indicates that a previously performed procedure or service was legitimately repeated by a different physician or other qualified health care professional. The AMA’s CPT definition…- Use modifier 77 when a basic procedure or service already performed is repeated by a different physician or other qualified health care professional (for example, a second provider independently…

    Related Provider Taxonomies

    8 rows

    Taxonomy Code
    207RC0000X
    207RN0300X
    208D00000X
    103TP0016X
    284300000X
    207RB0002X
    146L00000X
    2278S1500X

    Related ICD-10-CM Codes

    28 rows

    ICD-10-CM CodeDescription
    B34.9Viral infection, unspecified
    E11.9Type 2 diabetes mellitus without complications
    E66.9Obesity, unspecified
    E78.5Hyperlipidemia, unspecified
    F32.9Major depressive disorder, single episode, unspecified
    F33.1Major depressive disorder, recurrent, moderate
    F41.9Anxiety disorder, unspecified
    G43.909Migraine, unspecified, not intractable, without status migrainosus
    G47.00Insomnia, unspecified
    H52.4Presbyopia

    Showing 1–10 of 28

    Related Payer Policy Updates

    Specialty: Gastroenterology1 / 3

    10 rows

    PolicyPayerEffective Date
    Percutaneous Electrical Nerve Field Stimulation for Functional Abdominal Pain Disordersbcbsvermont2026-12-01
    Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) Coverage Policyevicore2026-11-05
    Radiofrequency Therapy for Fecal IncontinenceCigna2026-10-15
    Magnetic Sphincter Augmentation for the Treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)univerahealthcare2026-10-15
    High-Resolution Anoscopy (HRA)Premera Bluecross2026-10-01
    Gastroesophageal and Gastrointestinal (GI) Services and ProceduresColorado Rocky Mountain Health Plans2026-10-01
    Serum Testing for Hepatic Fibrosis in the Evaluation and Monitoring of Chronic Liver DiseaseOscar Health2026-10-01
    Fecal Analysis in the Diagnosis of Intestinal Dysbiosis and Fecal Microbiota Transplant TestingOscar Health2026-10-01
    Pancreatic Enzyme Testing for Acute PancreatitisOscar Health2026-10-01
    Helicobacter pylori TestingOscar Health2026-10-01

    Related Codes

    CPT-99416-CLINICAL-STAFF-TIME-OFFICE-OUTPATIENT-EM

    CPT 99416: Clinical Staff Time for Office/Outpatient E/M

    Frequently Asked Questions

    References

    1. 1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
    2. 2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
    3. 3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.
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    Prolonged evaluation and management service before and/or after direct patient care; first hour
    If prolonged physician time (rather than supervised clinical staff time) occurs before/after the visit, use 99358 for the physician’s prolonged service