place of service 23 in medical billing

Place of Service 23- Emergency Room Hospital (2025)

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Place of service which is also known as POS is the medical term/ code that is usually used during medical billings to note the location of the service provided to the patient. There is 99 Place of service codes available and all are unique with specific features. The Place of service 23 is used when medical services Emergency Room or Hospital

It is vital to be aware of them as one has to mention it whenever they come across any type of medical billing. As mentioned earlier each place of service is unique and has its own description, similarly, POS 23 is one of them.

What is Place of Service 23?

It is also called POS 23 during the billing procedure. This place of service is used when the service is conducted in the emergency rooms of any hospital or other medical institution. The services include immediate services that need to be treated as emergencies.

When to Use the Place of Service 23 Code?

The code has to be mentioned in medical billings during professional claims or paying. More queries about it can be personally solved by each individual through consulting their MAC. Nonetheless, POS 23 is a very commonly used code as many emergencies occur around the world every hour.

In medical institutions or hospitals, there is a portion or area that is secluded from the other places. This area is where emergencies are taken care of. POS 23 is used whenever any patient is admitted under this emergency area and provided with an emergency diagnosis.

It might range from services like treatment of major wounds, illness to immediate surgery, etc. This location is very specific and limited to mostly serious cases which cannot wait for long.

The POS 23 is also commonly used during accidents where people are admitted into the emergency portion of the hospital. The following rules followed when use POS 23 code in medical billing,

  • Reimbursement for outpatient healthcare services provided by a physician/practitioner in a hospital is determined under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) at the facility rate.
  • When delivering healthcare services to a hospital outpatient, regardless of the actual location of the face-to-face meeting, physicians/practitioners must, at a minimum, report the outpatient hospital POS code 22. This is essential to trigger the facility payment amount under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS).
  • The outpatient hospital POS code 22 is a mandatory condition for receiving facility payment when services are rendered to a registered hospital outpatient, including within a hospital outpatient department or a provider-based department of the hospital.
  • If the physician/practitioner is aware of the specific location in which the patient is registered as a hospital outpatient, they may report the appropriate outpatient facility POS code from the list provided in this section, instead of using POS code 22.
  • For instance, physicians/practitioners can use POS code 23 when providing services to a patient registered in the emergency room, and POS code 24 for patients registered in an ambulatory surgical center.

How to Claim for Place of Service 23?

The claim for the POS 23 is strictly emergency room services. Therefore it should not be used for anything else or it might be denied. For the claim of this code, the patient should be provided in the emergency service room.

They should be admitted as inpatients or else they won’t be able to use this POS23 code. One should also not use observation code in POS 23 as these are emergency services as well as emergency locations.

Hence, observation codes are hardly apt for these situations. Place of Service code is used for Mediclaim or other insurance. Therefore, one must be sure about whatever code they use is correct to the situation. Or else, the claim might get denied.

To Conclude…

These codes are universally used during medical bills. One must have basic knowledge of these codes as no one knows when one might require these. Place of service 23 is extremely important as emergencies are inevitable therefore one should be aware and prepared.

Place of Service 23 FAQs

Q1- What is the Place of Service 23?

Ans. Place of Service 23 is used when the medical services are provided to the patient in the emergency room of any hospital or any other medical institution. Every medical hub has a part that is secluded from the others where emergencies are taken care of. When a patient is taken and provided services there, POS 23 is used during medical billing.

Q2. What are the services that are included in immediate services?

Ans. Emergency services like treatment of nasal wounds, illness to major surgery, accidents, etc. are some of the services included in immediate services. These are taken care of in the emergency care area of a medical institution. This area is very specific and limited to mostly serious cases which cannot wait for long. 

Q3. Can Place of Service 23 be used without getting admitted to the hospital during an emergency?

Ans. For Place of Service 23, one must know that the patient should be registered as an inpatient in the hospital. Moreover, the services provided to him/her should be performed only in the emergency arena of the hospital.

Place of Service Codes List in Medical Billing?

POS 99|Place of Service 99 in Medical Billing

11 Place of Service | POS 11 in Medical Billing 

CPT Code 99284 Description