CMS Expands Payment for Telehealth Services

If you are participating in Telehealth services, you have eight new services for which you can bill:

G0396      Alcohol and/or substance (other than tobacco) abuse structured assessment (for example, AUDIT, DAST) and brief intervention, 15 to 30 minutes

G0397      Alcohol and/or substance (other than tobacco) abuse structured assessment (for example, AUDIT, DAST) and intervention greater than 30 minutes 

G0442      Annual alcohol misuse screening, 15 minutes

G0443      Brief face-to-face behavioral counseling for alcohol misuse, 15 minutes.

G0444      Annual Depression Screening, 15 minutes.

G0445      High-intensity behavioral counseling to prevent sexually transmitted infections, face-to- face, individual, includes: education, skills training, and guidance on how to change sexual behavior, performed semi-annually, 30 minutes.

G0446      Annual, face-to-face intensive behavioral therapy for cardiovascular disease, individual, 15 minutes

G0447       Face-to-face behavioral counseling for obesity, 15 minutes.

Telehealth services require providers to have a video telecommunications system that allows the communication between the originating site and distant site in "real time."  If requirements are met, many services besides those listed above may be billed including evaluation and management services,

For details on Telehealth visit:  https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/Downloads/TelehealthSrvcsfctsht.pdf