Provider Reimbursement for Counseling Patients to Self-Isolate

On July 30, CMS and the CDC announced they will begin paying physicians to counsel patients at the time of COVID-19 testing about the importance of self-isolation after they are tested and prior to the onset of symptoms.

CMS will use existing E&M payment codes to reimburse physicians who are eligible to bill CMS for counseling services no matter where a test is administered, including doctor’s offices, urgent care clinics, hospitals and community drive-thru or pharmacy testing sites.

The counseling checklist and additional information is available at https://www.cms.gov/files/document/counseling-checklist.pdf.