Table 1.

CMS guidance for billing during the COVID-19 pandemic*

Type of service	What is the service?	HCPCS/CPT CODE	Type of visit
Video visit	A video visit between a provider and a patient (billed by time)	99,201–99,215 (Office or other outpatient visits)	For new or established patients
Telephone or electronic visit (e-visit)	A phone or secure portal communication between a patient and provider	99,421 (5–10 min) 99,422 (11–20 min) 99,423 (≥ 21 minu)	For new or established patients

CMS = Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

HCPCS = health care common procedural coding system

CPT = current procedural terminology

*Starting March 6, 2020, and for the duration of COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, CMS will enforce payments for Medicare telemedicine services furnished to beneficiaries in any healthcare facility and in their home. In telemedicine visits, the following must be documented: patient consented, use of video vs. audio (and reason if video not used), if video then general appearance of the patient, if audio the impression of how the patient sounds, and minutes spent in the visit [16]. Use of a specific telemedicine encounter is preferred for tracking and reimbursement purposes over a telephone encounter (typically used for sharing of discrete information)