Telehealth Update Medicare - 2022

The listed CPT codes are covered in telehealth and changes are effective from dated on June 16, 2022

Medicare telehealth services require that the services occur over real-time audio and visual interactive telecommunications. For purposes of diagnosis, evaluation, or treatment of mental health disorders.

If the patient doesn’t have the technical capacity or the availability of real-time audio and visual interactive telecommunications, or they don’t consent to the use of real-time video technology, we allow audio-only communication for telehealth mental health services to established patients located in their homes.

After the PHE ends, Telehealth Mental Health services may include new or established patients so long as an in-person, face-to-face, non-telehealth service takes place within 6 months of the telehealth mental health services.

This means that all telehealth mental health patients should have had a first in-person visit no later than 6 months after the PHE.

After the PHE and after the initial 6-month in-person visit, all telehealth mental health patients must have a subsequent non-telehealth in-person visit within 12 months of the initial 6-month in-person visit date

During the initial 6-month in-person visit or during the subsequent 12-month in-person visits, if the original telehealth practitioner is unavailable for the face-to-face visit, we allow the clinician’s colleague in the same subspecialty and in the same group practice, to provide the in-person, non-telehealth service to the patient.

There are two additional modifiers for the current year in 2022 that relate to telehealth mental health services. The modifiers are, 

• FQ - A telehealth service was furnished using real-time audio-only communication technology

• FR - A supervising practitioner was present through a real-time two-way, audio/video communication technology

Click Here to Refer Telehealth CPT Codes