News

May 1,2020— On April 30, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published an update to the interim final rule that was published at the end of March. The new rule includes technical changes STFM and the other academic family medicine organizations advocated for to allow for the application of the primary care exception to telehealth services. 

• CMS now allows the teaching physician to "review the services provided with the resident, during or immediately after the visit remotely through virtual means via audio/video real time communications technology."
• New billing codes have been added that can be used under the primary care exception – including phone visit codes. See list below.
• With the understanding that phone visits are actually replacing E/M visits that would otherwise be occurring in person or through audio-visual telehealth, CMS is now providing increased funding for these codes and cross-walking them to normal E/M visit codes. See below for the financial and cross-walk information.

Telehealth Codes Allowed for Use Under the Primary Care Exception:

On an interim basis for the duration of the COVID-19 PHE, Medicare may make PFS payment to the teaching physician for the following additional services when furnished by a resident under the primary care exception:

• CPT code 99441 (Telephone evaluation and management service by a physician or other qualified health care professional who may report evaluation and management services provided to an established patient, parent, or guardian not originating from a related E/M service provided within the previous 7 days nor leading to an E/M service or procedure within the next 24 hours or soonest available appointment; 5-10 minutes of medical discussion);
• CPT code 99442 (Telephone evaluation and management service by a physician or other qualified health care professional who may report evaluation and management services provided to an established patient, parent, or guardian not originating from a related E/M service provided within the previous 7 days nor leading to an E/M service or procedure within the next 24 hours or soonest available appointment; 11-20 minutes of medical discussion);
• CPT code 99443 (Telephone evaluation and management service by a physician or other qualified health care professional who may report evaluation and management services provided to an established patient, parent, or guardian not originating from a related E/M service provided within the previous 7 days nor leading to an E/M service or procedure within the next 24 hours or soonest available appointment; 21-30 minutes of medical discussion);
• CPT code 99495 (Transitional Care Management services with the following required elements: Communication (direct contact, telephone, electronic) with the patient and/or caregiver within two business days of discharge; medical decision making of at least moderate complexity during the service period; face-to-face visit within 14 calendar days of discharge);
• CPT code 99496 (Transitional Care Management services with the following required elements: Communication (direct contact, telephone, electronic) with the patient and/or caregiver within two business days of discharge; medical decision making of at least high complexity during the service period; face-to-face visit within 7 calendar days of discharge);
• CPT code 99421 (Online digital evaluation and management service, for an established patient, for up to 7 days, cumulative time during the 7 days; 5–10 minutes);
• CPT code 99422 (Online digital evaluation and management service, for an established patient, for up to 7 days, cumulative time during the 7 days; 11–20 minutes);
• CPT code 99423 (Online digital evaluation and management service, for an established patient, for up to 7 days, cumulative time during the 7 days; 21 or more minutes);
• CPT code 99452 (Interprofessional telephone/internet/electronic health record referral service(s) provided by a treating/requesting physician or qualified health care professional, 30 minutes);
• HCPCS code G2012 (Brief communication technology-based service, e.g. virtual check-in, by a physician or other qualified health care professional who can report evaluation and management services, provided to an established patient, not originating from a related E/M service provided within the previous 7 days nor leading to an E/M service or procedure within the next 24 hours or soonest available appointment; 5–10 minutes of medical discussion); and
• HCPCS code G2010 (Remote evaluation of recorded video and/or images submitted by an established patient (e.g., store and forward), including interpretation with follow-up with the patient within 24 business hours, not originating from a related E/M service provided within the previous 7 days nor leading to an E/M service or procedure within the next 24 hours or soonest available appointment).

Audio-Only Cross-Walk with E/M Visit Codes

CMS is "establishing new RVUs for the telephone E/M services based on crosswalks to the most analogous office/outpatient E/M codes, based on the time requirements for the telephone codes and the times assumed for valuation for purposes of the office/outpatient E/M codes."

"Specifically, we are crosswalking CPT codes 99212, 99213, and 99214 to 99441, 99442, and 99443 respectively. We are finalizing, on an interim basis and for the duration of the COVID-19 PHE the following work RVUs: 0.48 for CPT code 99441; 0.97 for CPT code 99442; and 1.50 for CPT code 99443. We are also finalizing the direct PE inputs associated with CPT code 99212 for CPT code 99441, the direct PE inputs associated with CPT code 99213 for CPT code 99442, and the direct PE inputs associated with CPT code 99214 for CPT code 99443. We are not finalizing increased payment rates for CPT codes 98966-98968 as these codes describe services furnished by practitioners who cannot independently bill for E/Ms and so these telephone assessment and management services, by definition, are not furnished in lieu of an office/outpatient E/M service."