State Telehealth Laws and Reimbursement Policies Spring 2023 Summary Chart
CMS Releases Article on CY2022 Telehealth Update to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule In Mid-January, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) sent out an article to providers regarding telehealth billing changes in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS), including two new modifiers and a Telehealth Services List update. The update mostly covers recent expansions to mental health treatment via telehealth. For instance, telehealth mental health services are no longer limited to patients in rural areas, can be provided to a patient at home, and in certain circumstances can be provided via audio-only if certain conditions are met. However, these new policies such as the requirement for an in-person visit 6-months prior to the telehealth-delivered services related to mental health will only become active at the end of the federal public health emergency (PHE). Until then, the PHE waivers on telehealth in Medicare are still in place. The letter clarifies the timing for these requirements including when the 6-month prior in-person visit will need to be met. Limited exceptions to the in-person requirements are described, including travel hardships or provider unavailability.
The update also includes 2 new modifiers for telehealth mental health services:
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FQ - A telehealth service was furnished using real-time audio-only communication technology
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FR - A supervising practitioner was present through a real-time two-way, audio/video communication technology
Additional information is included regarding updates to the Medicare Telehealth Originating Site Facility Fee and the addition of new Cardiac Rehabilitation (CR) codes 93797 and 93798 as Category 3 codes on the Telehealth Services List and available through December 31, 2023. Review the full article for additional details.
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