2025 CPT code 95717
Effective Date: N/A Neurology and Neuromuscular Procedures Feed
Electroencephalogram (EEG), continuous recording, physician or other qualified health care professional review of recorded events, analysis of spike and seizure detection, interpretation and report, 2-12 hours of EEG recording; without video.
Modifier 26 can be used if the physician only provides the professional interpretation and report, and the technical component is performed by another provider.
Medical necessity for this code must be supported by documentation indicating a clinically valid reason for the long-term EEG monitoring, such as evaluation of suspected epilepsy, monitoring of seizure frequency or type, assessment of treatment effectiveness, or evaluation of altered mental status. The documentation should connect the EEG findings to the patient's symptoms and support the need for extended recording without video.
The physician or other qualified healthcare professional is responsible for reviewing the EEG data, identifying and analyzing spikes, seizures, and other relevant events, interpreting the findings within the context of the patient's clinical presentation, and generating a comprehensive report with diagnostic impressions and recommendations.They do not perform the technical component of the procedure.
In simple words: A physician or other qualified healthcare professional analyzes the brainwave activity recorded by a continuous EEG for a period of 2 to 12 hours.This analysis includes reviewing specific events, looking for spikes and seizures, interpreting the results, and creating a report. This code does not include the actual recording of the EEG, just the doctor's analysis of it.No video is recorded during this procedure.
This code represents the professional component of a long-term EEG recording, without video, performed for a duration of 2-12 hours. It includes the physician or other qualified healthcare professional's review of recorded events, analysis of spike and seizure detection, interpretation of the data, and generation of a report. This service does not include the technical component (electrode placement, recording, etc.) of the EEG, which is billed separately.It also does not include any evaluation and management (E/M) services provided during the same encounter.
Example 1: A patient presents with suspected epilepsy. A long-term EEG without video is ordered for 10 hours to capture and characterize seizure activity, if present. The physician reviews, interprets the recording, and generates a report., A patient with known epilepsy experiences changes in seizure frequency or type.A 5-hour EEG without video is performed to assess the effectiveness of current medication. The physician analyzes the recording and provides an interpretation., A patient with altered mental status undergoes a 2-hour continuous EEG without video to rule out non-convulsive seizures. The physician analyzes the EEG data and generates a report.
Documentation should include the reason for the EEG, the total recording time,the interpretation of the EEG findings, including the presence or absence of epileptiform activity, spikes, seizures, or other abnormalities, and a diagnostic impression and recommendations for further management.
- Specialties:Neurology, Epilepsy, Critical Care
- Place of Service:Inpatient Hospital, Outpatient Hospital, Skilled Nursing Facility