Three new HCPCS Level II G codes are added to the Medicare Telehealth Services list for Calendar Year (CY) 2020. These codes describe new bundled services for the treatment of opioid use disorders (OUD).
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) states in the 2020 Physician Fee Schedule final rule, “By creating a separate bundled payment for these services under the PFS, we hope to incentivize increased provision of counseling and care coordination for patients with OUD in the office setting, thereby expanding access to OUD care.”
The new HCPCS Level II codes for reporting the treatment of OUDs, on or after Jan. 1, 2020, are:
G2086 Office-based treatment for opioid use disorder, including development of the treatment plan, care coordination, individual therapy and group therapy and counseling; at least 70 minutes in the first calendar month
G2087 Office-based treatment for opioid use disorder, including care coordination, individual therapy and group therapy and counseling; at least 60 minutes in a subsequent calendar month
G2088 Office-based treatment for opioid use disorder, including care coordination, individual therapy and group therapy and counseling; each additional 30 minutes beyond the first 120 minutes (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure)
What’s Covered Under the New HCPCS Level II G codes?
HCPCS Level II code G2086 describes the initial month of treatment, including intake activities and development of a treatment plan, assessments to aid in development of the treatment plan to care coordination, individual therapy, group therapy, and counseling.
HCPCS Level II code G2087 describes subsequent months of treatment, including care coordination, individual therapy, group therapy, and counseling.
HCPCS Level II code G2088 is an add-on code that describes additional resources for a patient beyond what is provided in the base codes. “In other words,” CMS states in the PFS final rule, “the add-on code would address extraordinary circumstances that are not contemplated by the bundled code.” The total time spent by the billing professional and the clinical staff furnishing the OUD treatment services must exceed double the minimum amount of service time required to bill the base code for the month.
CMS assumes patients with OUD — described by ICD-10-CM code F11.x Opioid related disorders — will require two individual psychotherapy sessions per month and four group psychotherapy sessions per month; however, CMS states in the PFS final rule, “We understand that based on variability in patient needs, some patients will require more resources, and some fewer.” At least one psychotherapy service must be furnished to bill for G2086 or G2087. Practitioners can bill for additional psychotherapy furnished for the treatment of OUD using add-on code G0288.
Practitioners reporting the OUD bundle must also furnish a separately reportable initiating visit in association with the onset of OUD treatment. The initiating visit should establish the patient/doctor relationship, allow the practitioner to assess the patient to determine clinical appropriateness of medication-assisted treatment (MAT), if applicable, and provide an opportunity to obtain the required patient consent to receive care management services. The same services that serve as the initiating visit for chronic care management (CCM) and behavioral health integration (BHI) can serve as the initiating visit for the services described by G2086-G2088. The face-to-face visit included in transitional care management services also qualifies as a comprehensive visit.
For new patients, or patients who have not been seen by the practitioner within a year prior to the start of CCM and BHI services, the practitioner must initiate the OUD service during a comprehensive evaluation and management (E/M) visit, annual wellness visit, or initial preventive physical exam. Most of the E/M visit codes are on the Medicare telehealth list and can be furnished in addition to G2086-G2088.
What’s Not Covered Under the New OUD Codes?
The new HCPCS Level II G codes should not be billed for patients who are receiving treatment at an opioid treatment program (OTP).
If a patient’s treatment involves MAT, this bundled payment does not include payment for the medication itself – billing and payment for medications fall under Medicare Part B or Part D. Payment for medically necessary toxicology testing is billed separately under the Clinical Lab Fee Schedule.
When furnished to treat OUD, CPT® psychotherapy codes 90832, 90834, 90837, and 90853 may not be reported by the same practitioner for the same patient in the same month as G2086, G2087, G2088. Practitioners can bill for additional psychotherapy furnished for the treatment of OUD using +G2088, when medically necessary. The CPT® psychotherapy codes may be billed concurrently to the HCPCS Level II G codes for other diagnoses, however. CMS states in the 2020 PFS final rule that practitioners should determine which of the patient’s diagnoses they are treating is primary for the session to determine whether it is appropriate to bill separately for psychotherapy services furnished for co-occurring diagnoses. Hopefully, they will elaborate on the meaning of this statement in future physician education.
Billing the Originating Site Facility Fee
The originating site facility fee may be reported for the face-to-face portions of the services contained in G2086-G2088; however, the geographic limitations for telehealth services furnished on or after July 1, 2019, are statutorily removed for individuals diagnosed with a substance use disorder (SUD) for the purpose of treating the SUD or a co-occurring mental health disorder at any telehealth originating site (other than a renal dialysis facility), including in a patient’s home. Medicare will not pay an originating site facility fee when the individual’s home is the originating site.
The originating site facility fee for telehealth services furnished in CY 2019 was $26.15 and the Medicare Economic Index increase for 2020 is 1.9 percent. Therefore, the CY 2020 payment amount for Q3014 Telehealth originating site facility fee is 80 percent of the lesser of the actual charge, or $26.55.
For More Information: 49277 new g codes bundle opioid use disorder treatment
