I recently switched to a new PCP and had my annual physical screening with him. The PCP was in network and the screening was covered under my insurance. After the screening, my PCP scheduled a follow-up appointment to review the lab results. During that appointment, he just read out what's on the lab report, which took less than 3 minutes. All results were normal except for a positive H. pylori test. The PCP prescribed antibiotics for the treatment.

A few days into taking the antibiotics, a rash developed on my leg. The PCP scheduled a second visit to examine the rash. During this visit, he looked at the rash and said everything was normal, spending less than 3 minutes with me again.

When the bills for these two visits arrived, I was shocked to see that each bill was $425, totaling $850. Even with insurance, I still have to pay about $400 out of pocket. Both bills were coded under CPT 99214 (Outpatient visit 30 - 39 minutes), even though my PCP only spent a few minutes with me each time and did not perform any additional procedures. I called the PCP's office to ask why they used CPT 99214 instead of 99212 (Outpatient visit 10 - 19 minutes) or 99213 (Outpatient visit 20 - 29 minutes). They explained that the CPT 99214 code includes the time the PCP spent writing prescriptions and reviewing my medical history, but they do not have recorded start and end times in their system.

So my questions are: Is it normal for a simple doctor visit to be charged under CPT 99214, even if the doctor didn't record the time and the work performed was minimal? What can I do to dispute these medical bills?