Medical Services Coding

Revised January 2025, January 2019
Reaffirmed June 2013
Revised April 2006 with current title
Reaffirmed June 1999
Originally approved September 1986 as a CR titled “Coding Reform”

Given the establishment of a uniform transaction code set by the Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) believes that all private, state, and federal health care payers should employ a national uniform system for identifying, measuring, and reporting physician or other qualified health care professional services used in emergency medicine. Consequently, there should be ongoing efforts to develop and maintain procedures and performance codes, definitions, documentation requirements, and other associated policies regarding medical services in accordance with the following:

• Utilizing appropriate emergency physician or other qualified health care professional experience and expertise in such processes;
• Fostering the implementation of reasonable definitions and recognition policies among all payers nationwide;
• Establishing, modifying, or deleting codes in a timely manner, based on changing medical practice; and
• Having such codes, definitions, documentation requirements, and other associated utilization and reporting policies readily available whenever requested.