Reader Questions: Take This Counsel, Know if You Can Bill for COVID Advice

Article Overview

This reader Q&A discusses whether Medicare providers can be paid for counseling beneficiaries about COVID-19-related precautions and testing-time patient education. It summarizes CMS guidance on when counseling may occur, the settings where existing evaluation and management payment codes may be used, and why the information matters for practices handling COVID-era testing workflows. The article is useful for clinicians, billing staff, and coding professionals who need to understand the general scope of CMS payment guidance without relying on a premium article.