Category: Blog

2021 Telehealth Reimbursement

CMS Outlines Telehealth Reimbursement for 2020-21 eCQM Programs

  The documents released earlier this month offer details on 42 eCQMs for telehealth services during the 2020 performance period and 39 eCQMs for telehealth services during the 2021 performance period. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released additional details on telehealth reimbursement through quality reporting programs for the 2020 and 2021 performance […]
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Telehealth Medicare Expansion

Early Impact Of CMS Expansion Of Medicare Telehealth During COVID-19

During the Coronavirus pandemic, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has taken unprecedented action to expand telehealth for Medicare beneficiaries. Since people were advised to stay at home to reduce risk of exposure of COVID-19, there was an urgency to increase access to telehealth services to help people who need routine care and […]
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Contactless Payments

Post COVID-19: Medical Billing Finally Realizes the Value of Text-to-Pay

Contactless payments were on the rise even before COVID-19 hit. But now, health systems should see them as essential. Consumers are increasingly wary of touching a credit card terminal that others have used, a perfect conduit for spreading germs. For consumers, text payments serve as a convenient contactless way to pay, but there are other unique benefits […]
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Remote Patient Monitoring Update: Developments and Opportunities for Physicians

Remote Patient Monitoring Update: Developments and Opportunities for Physicians

Heading into 2020, adoption of telehealth services was already on the rise. Then the health crisis hit. Now it appears that COVID-19 has not only cemented telehealth’s place in the healthcare landscape but done so in a very big way. McKinsey & Co. is projecting that virtual visits could potentially account for $250 billion, or 20%, of […]
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Payers are reimbursing providers for all COVID-19-related testing and treatment they are furnishing to their insured members, but what if the patient is uninsured? Healthcare providers need not write off COVID-19 testing and treatment services rendered to uninsured patients. Compensation is available! The public health emergency for COVID-19 requires the healthcare industry to focus their efforts on treating patients and testing individuals for COVID-19 and, until recently, ceasing all “non-essential” services. As a result, healthcare providers are losing significant revenue this year. Recognizing this, Congress has passed various legislation this year that allows the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reimburses providers for COVID-19-related services furnished to the uninsured. Providers who conduct COVID-19 testing or provide treatment for uninsured patients with a COVID-19 diagnosis on or after Feb. 4, 2020, can e-file claims for reimbursement via the COVID-19 Uninsured Program Portal. What is the COVID-19 Uninsured Program Portal? The COVID-19 Uninsured Program portal is being administered by UnitedHealth Group through a contract with the HHS Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The program is being funded by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, which each appropriate $1 billion to reimburse providers for conducting COVID-19 testing for the uninsured. A portion of the funding appropriated in the Provider Relief Fund will be used to support expenses related to the treatment of uninsured individuals diagnosed with COVID-19. What COVID-19 Services Are Reimbursable? Providers can receive reimbursement for providing the following COVID-19-releated services to uninsured patients: • Specimen collection, diagnostic and antibody testing • Testing-related visits provided in office/telehealth, urgent care, or emergency room settings • Treatment (in most settings, including telehealth) • FDA-approved vaccine (once available) Services not covered by traditional Medicare are not reimbursable. Also not covered for payment under the COVID-19 Uninsured Program: • Any treatment without a COVID-19 primary diagnosis (except for pregnancy O98.5-, when a COVID-19 diagnosis may be secondary) • Hospice services • Outpatient prescription drugs All claims are final. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will not accept interim bills, corrected claims, late charges, voided claims transactions, or appeals via the COVID-19 Uninsured Program Portal. How Do Providers File COVID-19 Claims for the Uninsured? To participate, providers must attest during registration that they have confirmed the patients were in fact uninsured and no other payer will reimburse them for the services. For example, individuals who are enrolled in a state’s Medicaid program, or have coverage for treatment services through the COVID-19 testing eligibility group, are not uninsured for the purposes of this HRSA-administered program. Steps: o Enroll as a provider participant on the HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program Portal. o Validate Taxpayer Identification Number o Set up Optum Pay™ ACH for direct deposit o Add provider roster o Check patient eligibility o Submit patient information o Add and attest to patient roster o Submit claims electronically for professional and facility services using the ANSI X12 837 and Payer ID 95964 Note: THE HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program uses a unique version of Smart Edits to detect claims with potential errors. Repaired claims should be sent with the original frequency code of 1, not with a replacement or voided claim indicator of 7 or 8. Providers will receive payment via direct deposit. For any new codes where a Medicare published rate does not exist, claims will be held until CMS publishes corresponding reimbursement information. Providers must accept the program reimbursement as payment in full and agree not to balance bill the patient. Payments will be “generally at Medicare rates,” according to the HRSA. Take note: Providers may be subject to post-reimbursement audits. How Do I Code COVID-19 Testing and Treatment Claims? For confirmed COVID-19, use ICD-10-CM code B97.29 Other coronavirus as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere as the primary diagnosis (or secondary diagnosis, when pregnancy is the primary diagnosis) in applicable claims with dates of service between Feb. 4, 2020, and April 1, 2020. For claims with dates of service on or after April 1, 2020, use U07.1 COVID-19. For diagnostic testing and testing-related services performed in an office, urgent care or emergency room, labs, or via telehealth, report, as appropriate: Z03.818 Encounter for observation for suspected exposure to other biological agents ruled out (possible exposure to COVID-19) Z20.828 Contact with and (suspected) exposure to other viral communicable (confirmed exposure to COVID-19) Z11.59 Encounter for screening for other viral diseases (asymptomatic) For More Information: https://www.aapc.com/blog/51136-get-paid-for-covid-19-testing-treatment-of-uninsured/

Get Paid for COVID-19 Testing/Treatment of Uninsured

Payers are reimbursing providers for all COVID-19-related testing and treatment they are furnishing to their insured members, but what if the patient is uninsured? Healthcare providers need not write off COVID-19 testing and treatment services rendered to uninsured patients. Compensation is available! The public health emergency for COVID-19 requires the healthcare industry to focus their […]
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Telehealth-Opportunity-Risks

Emerging Opportunities – And Risks – With Telehealth In The Age Of COVID-19

As is painfully obvious to even the most casual of observers, the COVID-19 public health emergency has been disruptive to all industries. And, the healthcare industry has been at the epicenter of this disruption. Nonetheless, not all disruption is negative. One bright spot for many healthcare practitioners during this public health crisis has been the […]
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2021 ICD-10 CM Codes

Sneak a Peek at ICD-10-CM 2021

There are a slew of changes and only a few months before you will need to start using the new codes. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released on July 1 the ICD-10-CM code descriptions, tables and index, and addendum for fiscal year 2021. There are 490 additions, 58 deletions, and 47 revisions — increasing […]
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Telehealth Billing

Untangling Telehealth Billing

The utilization of telehealth services has increased significantly over the past few years, as those in the healthcare industry have started to realize the benefits it offers. Telemedicine allows organizations to maximize existing service lines; add new specialties without the associated costs and hassle of hiring full-time, in-house clinicians; and increase patient satisfaction. It also provides better […]
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COVID-19 Test Codes

New COVID-19 Test Codes Effective Immediately

Just when you thought you had all the COVID-19 coding for laboratory testing figured out — hold the phone — there are three new CPT® codes. These newest codes are effective June 25, 2020. CPT® Code Long Descriptor 0223U Infectious disease (bacterial or viral respiratory tract infection), pathogen-specific nucleic acid (DNA or RNA), 22 targets […]
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Remote Patient Monitoring

CMS Guidance for Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM)

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has provided some guidance within the “Medicare and Medicaid Programs Policy and Regulatory Revisions in Response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency” interim final rule (IFR), allowing for remote patient monitoring, or RPM. This type of patient care is very helpful for ongoing treatment during the COVID-19 […]
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