As previously reported, CMS has expanded Medicare coverage for telemedicine services provided in the office, hospital, and other visits furnished via telehealth including in patients' places of residence starting March 6, 2020. This expanded benefit applies to a range of providers, such as doctors, nurse practitioners, clinical psychologists, and licensed clinical social workers. To assist providers in implementation of these relaxed coverage rules, CMS issued what it is referring to as a "Telemedicine Toolkit" and a "Telemedicine Toolkit for End Stage Renal Dialysis Providers". These links provide a variety of resources to help providers with the implementation of the telemedicine service modality. Of particular interest to many of our provider clients is the appropriate billing codes for these services.
The following CMS Medicare chart describes the three main types of virtual services physicians and other professionals can provide to Medicare beneficiaries as set forth below:
See, https://www.cms.gov/files/document/general-telemedicine-toolkit.pdf. See, also https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/medicare-telemedicine-health-care-provider-fact-sheet.
Please note that CMS is also encouraging all nephrologists and dialysis facilities to share with patients these new abilities to provide healthcare through telemedicine. Many of the resources provided in this document are generalized to all providers.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.