Wiki Phone Call Documentation

[KaylaRieken]

I had this in a different thread yesterday, but haven't had any responses. My provider's are wanting an answer and I do not know what to tell them. This is our first time billing for telehealth and phone calls and rules are changing constantly.

When billing time for actual audio and video telehealth right now they expanded the time component to include all time spent when providing the service throughout the date of the encounter which includes preparation time and follow-up time in reviewing documents such as imaging/records. Would this be the same as a telephone call?

 

[daedolos]

As I understand, the time component that needs to be noted is how long the patient and the doctor interact whether on audio or on video/audio methods. That would be the "face-to-face" interaction between the provider and the patient. All other time spent could be hours but that shouldn't be counted.

Peace
@_*
Hope this helps.

 

[camillecoder@hotmail.com]

I am interpreting the following statement from CMS to mean that it has already included in the wRVU the peri-encounter work of an RN/LPN/MTA.

work RVUs as recommended by the AMA Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC) of 0.25 for CPT code 99441, 0.50 for CPT code 99442, and 0.75 for CPT code 99443. We are finalizing the HCPAC and RUC-recommended direct PE inputs which consist of 3 minutes of post-service RN/LPN/MTA clinical labor time for each code.

https://www.cms.gov/files/document/covid-final-ifc.pdf

The most recent Interim Rule I've read is from 4/28/20 and I did not see any clarification of time relevant to telephone services. That doesn't mean it's not there, I just didn't see it. The Interim Rule on 4/28/20 did also revalue the telephone services to match office/outpatient E&M codes 99212-99214.

https://www.cms.gov/files/document/covid-medicare-and-medicaid-ifc2.pdf