Telemedicine medical billing

The telehealth waiver will be effective until the public health emergency ends.

No, during the public health emergency insurance companies are allowing providers to also see new patients. Remember that all plans are different and a private insurance plan may or may not pay for these services. See self-insured plans and patient’s individual medical plan benefit.

During the emergency declaration, any physician service provided via telehealth will be reimbursed by CMS that falls under the regular in-person services normally provided in the outpatient office setting. CMS reimburses separately for other professional services that are commonly furnished remotely using telecommunications technology without restrictions that apply to Medicare telehealth. These services, including physician interpretation of diagnostic tests, care management services, and virtual check-ins, are normally furnished through communication.

Yes, but each state has its own requirements.

Yes, medications can be prescribed using telemedicine.

E-visit is when a patient communicates with their doctors through online patient portals. Virtual check-in pays professionals for brief (5-10 minute) communications that mitigate the need for an in-person visit, is treated the same as an in-person visit, and can be billed using the appropriate code for that service as you would in the office, using place of service 02 to indicate the service was performed via telehealth.

No. During the health emergency, regardless of your diagnosis, a patient can be seen for any other medical conditions. The basis of this premise is to limit the one to one physical office visits with the provider to reduce the chances of someone contracting COVID-19.

Private payers currently run the gambit, there is no fixed price or a set fee schedule, nor is there a private payer mandate to pay for telehealth services. Medicare on the other hand, will reimburse the same amount for telehealth services as it would for regular face-to-face E/M services.