Patients may be leery about coming into your office during the COVID-19 pandemic, no matter how many safety measures you take. Here are four ways to treat them remotely even if they don’t have the equipment or technological know-how to do video visits:
1. Online digital evaluation and management (E/M) services, or “e-visits” (CPT 99421-99423): Back-and-forth, not real-time (asynchronous) communication, usually done through a secure email or patient portal.
2. Virtual check-ins (HCPCS G2012): Synchronous brief communication by phone or other device to determine if in-person care is needed.
3. Remote evaluation (HCPCS G2010): Evaluation of recorded video or images (store and forward).
4. Telephone E/M services (CPT 99441-99443): Diagnosis and management of a patient's problem over the phone. Medicare has agreed to temporarily reimburse these services at the same rates as if they were performed in-person and increased the number of services that can be performed over the phone.
The following rules apply to all four types of services:
Read the full FPM article: “Operationalizing Virtual Visits During a Public Health Emergency."
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