One industry that has exponentially grown due to the COVID-19 pandemic is telehealth.
Telehealth services have been on the rise for several years now, addressing the need for making high-quality healthcare more accessible, especially to rural, and isolated communities, but it is now on a paradigm shift as the current pandemic is hastening its demand and growth. And as a response to President Trump’s Executive Order on Improving Rural Health and Telehealth Access to improve the health of all Americans, the Centers for Medicine & Medicaid Services (CMS) has taken action to increase adoption across the country by expanding the list of telehealth services payable under Medicare when provided via telehealth.
At Coronis Health, we understand the critical importance of remaining vigilant and compliant amid the changing chorus of government and carrier billing regulations and requirements. With 100 years of combined experience, we are here to help organizations adapt to not just changes in healthcare policies but new technologies as well.
11 New Approved Telehealth Services
Since the beginning of the pandemic, CMS has added more than 135 services to the Medicare telehealth services list, including emergency department visits and initial inpatient visits. On October 14, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) added 11 new services to the list of telehealth services Medicare will reimburse during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Effective immediately and through the duration of the pandemic, Medicare will pay eligible practitioners who provide these newly added telehealth services:
1. 93797: Cardiac rehab
2. 93798: Cardiac rehab/monitor
3. 93750: In-person ventricular assist device interrogation
4. 95970: Electronic analysis of implanted neurostimulator pulse without programming
5. 95971: Electronic analysis of implanted neurostimulator pulse generator/transmitter with programming
6. 95972: Electronic analysis of implanted neurostimulator pulse generator/transmitter
7. 95983: Electronic analysis of implanted neurostimulator pulse generator/transmitter, by physician or other qualified healthcare professional; with brain neurostimulator pulse generator/transmitter programming; first 15 minutes face-to-face with physician or other qualified healthcare professional
8. 95984: Electronic analysis of implanted neurostimulator pulse generator/transmitter, by physician or other qualified healthcare professional; with brain neurostimulator pulse generator/transmitter programming; each additional 15 minutes face-to-face with physician or other qualified healthcare professional
9. G0422: Intensive cardiac rehab with exercise
10. G0423: Intensive cardiac rehab, no exercise
11. G0424: Pulmonary rehab with exercise
To view the full list of services, visit cms.gov.
How Coronis Health is Keeping Up With the Ever-Changing Healthcare Industry
Throughout the pandemic, Coronis Health has quickly become the designated expert for COVID testing billing. We’re trusted to handle tens of thousands of claims because of our experience, innovative mindset, and ability to quickly and accurately adapt to changes. More importantly, we are committed to ensuring our clients comply with these changes as well.
We are a global company with a personal, high-touch service. Our private practice service group offers custom solutions to healthcare practices of every medical specialty and size. Our hospital, facility, and surgery group offers specialized financial and medical billing solutions to all types of hospitals, FQHCs, SNFs, LTCs, and surgical centers. We seek a level of professionalism and analysis you won’t find elsewhere. As technological innovators, we are also fully integrated with the latest software, allowing us to input coding instantly and execute collections fast and efficiently. We’ve developed an advanced technological system that learns how to collect, who to collect from, and how to get that “last dollar” in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
The Future of Telehealth Services
Demand for telehealth is expected to soar by 64.3% in 2020, according to a recent Frost & Sullivan report. The released report also predicts that telehealth in the U.S. will grow seven-fold by 2025. What this is suggesting is that telehealth may become the new normal for healthcare providers and patients alike.
While telehealth services fill a need, especially during the current crisis, the opportunity for telehealth products and services to become a standard of care is growing. More and more physicians are now recognizing the values of digital health tools in achieving efficiency and safety in healthcare. The pandemic has given them a broader opening and a growing acceptance of exploring better ways to connect with patients. Especially with the constant advancement of technology with devices, apps, programs, and other digital solutions proving to be effective, the demand for telehealth services will persist beyond COVID-19. If patients can receive high-quality care through digital technologies along with exceptional convenience, this enhanced experience will likely drive the traditional healthcare system to embrace this new, digital approach.
And now that lawmakers are recognizing the value of telehealth and agencies are responding with new reimbursement codes, we can foresee greater adoption of telemedicine by providers as payments will align correspondingly to the services delivered.
Schedule an Assessment With Coronis Health
Changes in payment models and new regulations are just a few of the many factors contributing to the dynamic healthcare landscape. Contact Coronis Health today to learn how you can consistently stay on top of these changes while reaching the next level of financial success and to schedule your free financial checkup.