Part B Insider - 2020 Issue 12
COVID-19: Don’t Miss Recent Exceptions that Impact Your General Surgery Practice
Subscribe or sign in to view the full article.
Article Overview
This article explains recent COVID-19 public health emergency developments from HHS and CMS that affect general surgery practices. It focuses on the extension of pandemic-related waivers and flexibilities, additions to the Medicare telehealth services list, and related billing and reporting considerations for telehealth during the emergency period. It is aimed at surgeons, practice managers, and coding professionals who need to stay current on temporary federal policy changes.
Why This Topic Matters
The updates described affect how general surgery practices deliver and report care during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Understanding these changes helps practices follow current Medicare telehealth policies and stay aligned with temporary federal relief measures.
Article Sections
-
Know the PHE Extension Specifics
This section summarizes the extension of the COVID-19 public health emergency and the continued availability of related waivers and flexibilities. It also notes the agencies involved and the time period covered.
-
Get the Scoop on 11 New Telehealth Additions
This section covers recent CMS telehealth list additions made during the public health emergency and the broader context of Medicare telehealth expansion. It also introduces related coding and billing references tied to telehealth during the pandemic.
-
Coding
This section discusses general telehealth coding references and where to look for current telehealth service information during the public health emergency. It also includes billing-related identifiers associated with telehealth reporting.
-
Resource
This short section points readers to a CMS resource for the current telehealth services list during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
-
How to
This section outlines general billing elements referenced for telehealth services under the public health emergency. It focuses on reporting considerations tied to telehealth claims.
What You Will Learn
- How recent COVID-19 public health emergency updates affect general surgery practices
- What kinds of federal waivers and flexibilities remain in place during the emergency period
- How CMS expanded the Medicare telehealth services list during the pandemic
- Where to find official telehealth service information for the COVID-19 public health emergency
- What general billing elements are referenced for telehealth reporting during the emergency
Who Should Read This
- General surgeons
- Surgery practice managers
- Medical coders
- Billing staff
- Compliance staff
Modifiers Discussed
Subscribe or sign in to view the full article.


Quick, Current, Complete - www.findacode.com