Telehealth Rules for 2017: CMS Adds New Place Of Service Modifier for Telehealth Services

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Note:  The following article synopsis was NOT provided by AAPC. It was created by Find-A-Code/innoviHealth.

Article Overview

This article reviews CMS telehealth policy changes for 2017, including updates to place of service reporting, telehealth-related modifiers, payment handling, and the types of services considered for the Medicare telehealth list. It is aimed at coders, billers, compliance staff, and reimbursement professionals who need a high-level understanding of telehealth billing changes and the categories of services CMS evaluated.

Why This Topic Matters

Telehealth billing rules can affect claim reporting, payment, and tracking of service utilization. Understanding which services were added, deferred, or excluded helps billing teams stay aligned with current CMS telehealth guidance.

Article Sections

  1. New telehealth place of service and payment updates

    Discusses CMS changes related to telehealth place of service reporting and payment policy for 2017. The section also addresses how the update affects telehealth service tracking and related billing practices.

  2. Don’t Forget GT and GQ Modifiers

    Covers the telehealth-related modifiers discussed in the article and how CMS describes their use alongside the place of service update. It also notes the possibility of future rulemaking changes.

  3. No Telehealth for ED or Observation Services, But Critical Care Makes the List

    Summarizes CMS’s review categories for telehealth service requests and the types of services discussed under that framework. It also covers service groups that were reviewed for telehealth inclusion and the separate consideration of critical care consultation services.

What You Will Learn

  • How CMS framed 2017 telehealth place of service reporting changes
  • Which general types of telehealth-related modifiers are discussed in the article
  • How CMS organizes telehealth service review into categories
  • What kinds of service groups were reviewed for telehealth inclusion
  • Which broad telehealth policy updates were highlighted for 2017

Who Should Read This

  • Medical coders
  • Billing staff
  • Revenue cycle professionals
  • Compliance teams
  • Reimbursement specialists
  • Emergency medicine administrators

Codes Discussed

Code Ranges Discussed

  • UNSPECIFIED: 99281-99285
  • UNSPECIFIED: 99217-99220

Modifiers Discussed


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