Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Cigna has expanded telehealth services to include outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy services. In this article, I will answer some of the more common questions I have received regarding Cigna’s expansion of telehealth services to include physical, occupational and speech therapy services. QuestionWhen did Cigna expand telehealth services to outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy services? Answer QuestionWhat is the end date of the expansion of telehealth services to outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy services? Answer (Updated May 24, 2020) QuestionWhat plans does the telehealth expansion apply to? Answer QuestionWhat CPT codes will

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Aetna has expanded telehealth services to include outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy services. In this article, I will answer some of the more common questions I have received regarding Aetna’s expansion of telehealth services to include physical, occupational and speech therapy services. QuestionWhen did Aetna expand telehealth services to outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy services? Answer QuestionWhat is the end date of the expansion of telehealth services to outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy services? Answer (Updated June 1, 2020) QuestionWhat plans does the telehealth expansion apply to? Answer QuestionWhat CPT codes will

National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) edits are updated quarterly by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Capital Bridge, CMS’ NCCI coding contractor. Updates occur on January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1 of each calendar year. Typically, the January 1 update sees the most additions, deletions and revisions due to new, revised and deleted CPT codes taking effect on January 1 of the calendar year. Due to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency as well as CMS’s expansion of telehealth services, CMS updated procedure-to-procedure (PTP) edits and Medically Unlikely Edits (MUEs) for Current Procedural Terminology (CPT)

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), I am receiving many questions regarding the ability for physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists to provide outpatient therapy services in a patient’s home and to have those services reimbursed by the Medicare program and private/commercial insurance carriers. See below for some of the common questions I receive and the answers to each question. This article was originally published on March 16, 2020, but I republished it today and added additional Q&As. QuestionDoes the Medicare program reimburse for outpatient therapy in a patient’s home? Answer QuestionWhat is considered a patient’s home? Answer QuestionWith the

Today, I am receiving emails and phone calls from providers around the country that believe the Medicare program covers telehealth services provided by a physical therapist, occupational therapist or a speech-language pathologist. I have even received emails from several providers stating they provided telehealth visits to Medicare beneficiaries, submitted the claim to their Medicare Administrative Contractor using place of service code 02 on the 1500-claim form and appended modifier 95 or modifier 95 and the GP modifier to the CPT code(s) on the claim form and were paid. I hate to tell you, but you were paid in error. As

Last week, Aetna announced they were expanding telehealth services to outpatient therapy services until June 4, 2020. That’s the good news! Now for the not-so-good news. Try finding this announcement anywhere on the Aetna website. Lucky for you as a Gold Member, I will give you the step-by-step instructions how to access this announcement from Aetna and get the reference that you need. As an Aetna provider, you must I hope you found this article helpful. Thank you for being a Gold Member!

On March 30, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an interim final rule with comment period discussing CPT codes 98966, 98967 and 98968. The description of each of these CPT codes per the American Medical Association CPT 2020 Professional Edition, page 747 are as follows: 98966: Telephone assessment and management service provided by a qualified nonphysician health care professional to an established patient, parent, or guardian not originating from a related assessment and management service provided within the previous 7 days nor leading to an assessment and management service or procedure within the next 24 hours

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many providers of outpatient therapy services are implementing telehealth services to meet the needs of their patients. Since many have never provided telehealth services previously, they are uncertain how to do the billing. In addition, insurance carriers who are expanding telehealth coverage, either voluntarily or state mandated, may not have guidance for providers regarding the billing of outpatient therapy telehealth services. In this article, I will provide answers and/or guidance on some of the questions I have been receiving. QuestionDoes the Medicare program pay for telehealth services provided by a physical therapist, occupational therapist or