On May 11, 2018, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released its final rule on the "Authority of VA Health Care Providers to Practice Telehealth." Effective June 11, 2018, VA providers will be able to provide telehealth services across state lines. This move will make it easier for veterans to obtain services, particularly if they are in remote, rural or underserved areas. It is anticipated that this ruling will shorten wait times for patients seeking care.
Read MoreWe recently heard about a small practice that had been faithfully submitting all the required “G” codes for the Quality Payment Program (QPP) only to discover that for 2018 they are excluded from MIPS because the low volume threshold increased from $30,000 in Part B allowed charges or 100 Part B beneficiaries to $90,000 in Part B allowed charges or 200 Part B beneficiaries. They were unsure about what they needed to do at this point and how it would impact their practice.
Read MoreMLN released information stating they have eliminated the requirement to use modifier GT on Telehealth services.
As a result of eliminating the need for the GT modifier Medicare now requires the use of a POS Code 02 to describe services furnished via telehealth.
Read MoreAnthems original plan was to take a 50% reduction when providers reported claims using modifier 25, it was then lowered to a 25% reduction and has now been fully rescinded, to the relief of providers. The policy was to go into effect March 1, 2018, however, due to strong opposition from the American Medical Association and other groups Anthem decided it was not in the best interest between payers and providers.
Read MoreWhenever there is a high-cost item, CMS has historically evaluated usage to determine appropriateness of billing and this is another example. A Decision Memo was released on February 15, 2018 which included the following changes:
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