CMS Expands Telehealth Services

On April 30th, 2020, CMS finalized an expansion of telehealth services allowing a wider range of care to Medicare beneficiaries in their homes. 

  1. Expansion of providers that can conduct telehealth services
    • Physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists.
  2. Increase Payment of telehealth visits
    • Payments will see an increase from a range of about $14-$41 to about $46-$110 for telephone codes 99441-99443.
    • CMS is broadening the list of services that Medicare would pay for, no including much behavioral health and patient education services.
  3. CMS is waiving the video requirement for certain telephone evaluation and management services. As a result, Medicare beneficiaries will be able to us an audio-only telephone to get these services.
    • 5-10 minute telephone call with no video component, you would bill 99441, and Medicare would pay you the same as 99212.
    • 11-20 minute telephone call, with no video component, you would bill 99213, and Medicare will pay you the equivalent of 99213.
    • 21-30 minute telephone call with no video component, you would bill 99443, and Medicare will you pay you the equivalent of 99214
  4. CMS will add new telehealth services on a sub-regulatory basis, considering requests by practitioners now learning to use telehealth as broadly as possible.
  5. CMS is paying for Medicare telehealth services provided by rural health clinics and federally qualified health clinics.

Read more: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/trump-administration-issues-second-round-sweeping-changes-support-us-healthcare-system-during-covid

Sources: Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services

 

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