PRACTICE ALERT: Medicare Revises Telehealth Place of Service and Modifier Codes During COVID-19

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced on April 3, 2020, revisions for telehealth place of service (POS) and modifier codes. The revisions will allow clinical social workers (CSWs) to be reimbursed at the same rate as an in-person service. For telehealth services performed effective March 1, 2020 and for the duration of the public health
emergency (PHE), the following code changes are activated:

• Use the POS code equal to what it would have been in the absence of a PHE. For CSWs, the POS codes include (among others):
Office – 11
Home – 12
Assisted Living – 13
Nursing Home – 33

• Use the GT modifier, 95, for all telehealth claims which indicates that the service was actually performed via telehealth.

• Use POS telehealth code 02 only for traditional Medicare telehealth services when provided from a distant site which is the location of the CSW.

Additional information about the revised policy is available at Billing for Professional Telehealth Distant Site Services During the Public Health Emergency — Revised For additional information on COVID-19 Medicare telehealth policy, go to:
https://www.socialworkers.org/Practice/InfectiousDiseases/Coronavirus/Telehealth

Prepared by Mirean Coleman, MSW, LICSW, CT
Clinical Manager