As the entire world continues to facing COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth offering the best for medical practices across the US for caring patients. Telemedicine is widely used for protecting the high-risk patients, healthcare workers, and the entire community from spread from the COVID-19.
Since the entire nation is fighting against the coronavirus and many telehealth restrictions have been lifted. Patients now consult with their doctor from home, even non-HIPPA regulations also implemented to use of telemedicine on a large scale. It is difficult for many practices that adapt to changes in telemedicine services.
As you face the constant changes are challenging for practices during COVID-19, having an experienced medical billing and coding company helps to face this crisis.
Telehealth Guidelines Continue to Change During the COVID-19 Outbreak:
Over the past few weeks, the telehealth guidelines have continued to be changed regularly. Many of the medicare restrictions related to the telehealth services now has been lifted due to this pandemic. Here you can find the few of the key changes include:
- Physicians will be paid by Medicare for audio-only telephone calls and telehealth services covered.
- MSE ( medical screening exams ) are performed via telehealth visits.
- Telehealth services now utilized for both existing and new patients.
- Physicians are permitted to provide telehealth services from their remote place.
- Established relationships with the patient no longer used for providing telehealth services.
- Non-HIPPA compliant applications like Skype and Facetime used for Flexibility to telehealth services.
New Codes are Being Introduced:
Many medical practices are already using codes for telemedicine services while dealing with the COVID-19 crisis. Along with that new codes are introduced for the treatment for coronavirus. New codes are introduced continuously over a couple of weeks, and it is difficult for practices to keep pace with the new telemedicine codes as well as COVID-19 related codes.
Keep Non-Essential Personnel Out of the Office:
While lockdown is continued to keeping many people at the home these days, if you have in-house billing and coding personnel, they need to come to the office because they need to access the office-based software to handing the tasks for the medical practice. Social distancing and kept the people at home is the current solution for avoiding the further spread of the virus.
Outsourcing medical billing and coding is an excellent way to keep out in-house personnel from the office while ensuring billing and coding are handled efficiently to keep your practice going through this crisis.
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