99418 Prolng inpatient/obs e/m each 15 minutes
Also known as: prolonged inpatient E/M add-on, extended hospital additional, prolonged hospital add-on
Prolonged inpatient or observation care evaluation and management service beyond the usual service; each additional 15 minutes of physician or qualified health professional time.
In Plain Language
Additional hospital visit time; Extra inpatient care time
Clinical Context
Used to report each additional 15-minute increment of prolonged direct patient contact in inpatient or observation settings beyond the initial E&M code.
RVU Breakdown
| Work RVU | 0.81 |
| Total RVU | 0.81 |
Est. Medicare Payment
National estimate based on 2026 CMS PFS Conversion Factor ($33.40). Actual payment varies by locality (GPCI adjustment).
Billing & Documentation
E&M codes require documentation of medical decision-making (MDM) complexity or total time spent on the encounter. For 2026, time-based coding includes all physician time on the date of the encounter.
How This Code Compares
With a work RVU of 0.81, this code ranks in the 19th percentile among Evaluation & Management codes — 1.9x below the median (1.54). The highest wRVU in this category is 18.46.
Specialties
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CPT code 99418?
CPT 99418 (Prolng inpatient/obs e/m each 15 minutes) is a Evaluation & Management code. Prolonged inpatient or observation care evaluation and management service beyond the usual service; each additional 15 minutes of physician or qualified health professional time.
Who uses CPT code 99418?
CPT 99418 is used by Hospital Medicine, All Specialties. Used to report each additional 15-minute increment of prolonged direct patient contact in inpatient or observation settings beyond the initial E&M code.
When is CPT 99418 used?
Used to report each additional 15-minute increment of prolonged direct patient contact in inpatient or observation settings beyond the initial E&M code.
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CPT® is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association. Data sourced from CMS Physician Fee Schedule RVU26A. Descriptions, synonyms, and clinical context are original content by RVU Edge.