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.
- Expansion of providers that can conduct telehealth services
- Physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists.
- 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.
- 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
- CMS will add new telehealth services on a sub-regulatory basis, considering requests by practitioners now learning to use telehealth as broadly as possible.
- CMS is paying for Medicare telehealth services provided by rural health clinics and federally qualified health clinics.
Sources: Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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