1. E/M Code Category Selection:
The patient is a 19-year-old seen by his primary care physician for an annual preventive exam. His last exam was four years ago, and he has no complaints, indicating a preventive rather than problem-focused visit.
CPTCode 99385 is for a new patient preventive visit for ages 18-39. Since the patient's last visit was four years ago, this qualifies him as a new patient by CPTstandards (a patient is considered new if they have not received any professional services from the physician within the past three years).
2. Rationale for Excluding Other Options:
Code 99395 is for an established patient preventive visit for ages 18-39, which does not apply here since the patient is considered new after four years.
Code 99394 is for a preventive visit for an established patient aged 12-17, which does not match the patient's age.
Code 99384 is for a new patient preventive visit for ages 12-17, which also does not apply given the patient's age of 19.
3. AAPC and CPTCoding Guidelines:
According to CPTguidelines, 99385 is appropriate for a new patient in the 18-39 age range for a preventive visit, especially when they have not seen the provider in over three years.
Therefore, the correct answer is A. 99385.