---
title: "CPT 99213: Established patient office visit, low complexity | BillingBrief"
description: "An established patient office or outpatient visit with low-complexity medical decision making. It's one of the most-billed codes in outpatient care."
canonical: "https://billingbrief.com/cpt/99213/"
language: "en"
---

# 99213 Established patient office visit, low complexity

CPT · [BillingBrief summary](#source)

An established patient office or outpatient visit with low-complexity medical decision making. It's one of the most-billed codes in outpatient care.

## What to know

-   Time threshold: 20 minutes or more of total practitioner time on the date of the visit.
-   Common for one stable chronic illness or an acute uncomplicated problem with limited data review.

## Related codes

-   [`99212` Established patient office visit, straightforward CPT](https://billingbrief.com/cpt/99212/)
-   [`99214` Established patient office visit, moderate complexity CPT](https://billingbrief.com/cpt/99214/)
-   [`99203` New patient office visit, low complexity CPT](https://billingbrief.com/cpt/99203/)

## Common questions

### What's the difference between 99213 and 99214?

Both are established patient office visits. 99213 needs low-complexity medical decision making or 20+ minutes; 99214 needs moderate-complexity MDM or 30+ minutes.

## From the source

This is BillingBrief’s own explanation, not the official CPT descriptor. For the official code set, see the [American Medical Association](https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/cpt).

Code set

CPT

Category

Office visits (E/M)

Educational reference only. Not medical, legal, or billing advice. Always check the current official code set and payer policy before you bill. [About BillingBrief and our sources](https://billingbrief.com/about/).