decisionhealth Newsletters, Part B News - 2020 Issue 5 (May)
CMS cements fresh round of COVID waivers, upping payments, expanding telehealth
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Article Overview
This article covers a broad CMS update released during the COVID-19 public health emergency that affects payment and coverage policy across telehealth, diagnostic testing, and outpatient department billing. It is aimed at providers, billers, coders, and revenue cycle staff who need to understand which services became temporarily available or payable under expanded pandemic-era guidance. The piece summarizes the major categories of change, including updates to telephone-based services, laboratory and home-based COVID testing, facility payment adjustments, and additional telehealth participation by therapy disciplines.
Why This Topic Matters
These emergency policy changes altered what could be delivered remotely, who could order or perform certain services, and how some encounters and tests were reimbursed. Understanding the scope of the update helps practices monitor coverage changes and align documentation, billing, and operational workflows during the COVID-19 period.
Article Sections
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Telephone services get a raise
Discusses CMS updates affecting telephone-based evaluation and management services during the public health emergency and the broader expansion of non-face-to-face care.
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Telephone E/M services
Provides a list-style section focused on the telephone service category discussed in the article.
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Expanded diagnostic testing options
Covers changes related to COVID-19 testing access, ordering flexibility, and the range of laboratory and patient-collected tests addressed by CMS guidance.
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Outpatient departments can retain rates
Summarizes temporary payment-related changes affecting certain off-campus provider-based outpatient departments and related facility billing arrangements.
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More telehealth updates
Describes additional telehealth participation changes for therapy disciplines and the broader expansion of services eligible for remote delivery during the emergency.
What You Will Learn
- How CMS expanded pandemic-era telehealth and non-face-to-face service policy
- What categories of COVID-19 testing and related billing were affected
- How outpatient department payment arrangements were temporarily adjusted
- Which therapy-related provider types gained additional telehealth flexibility
- How temporary emergency guidance influenced Medicare coverage and reimbursement
Who Should Read This
- Medical coders
- Billing staff
- Revenue cycle teams
- Practice managers
- Physicians
- Non-physician practitioners
- Therapy providers
- Hospital outpatient departments
Codes Discussed
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