TABLE II.

CMS Non-Emergent, Elective Medical Services, and Treatment Recommendations^*17

Tiers	Definition	Locations	Examples	Action
Tier 1	Low acuity treatment or service	Medical office FQHC/RHC HOPD Ambulatory care sites	Routine primary or specialty care Preventive care visit/screening Annual Wellness or Welcome to Medicare Initial Preventative Visit Supervised exercise therapy Acupuncture	Consider postponing service Consider follow-up using telehealth, virtual check-in, or remote monitoring
Tier 2	Intermediate acuity treatment or service Not providing the service has the potential for increasing morbidity or mortality	Medical office FQHC/RHC HOPD Ambulatory care sites	Pediatric vaccinations Newborn/early childhood care† Follow-up visit for management of existing medical or mental/behavioral health condition Evaluation of new symptoms in an established patient Evaluation of non-urgent symptoms consistent with COVID-19	Consider initial evaluation via telehealth; triage to appropriate sites of care as necessary If no current symptoms of concern, consider follow-up with virtual check-in
Tier 3	High acuity treatment or service Lack of in-person treatment or service would result in patient harm	Medical office FQHC/RHC HOPD Ambulatory care sites Emergency department	Evaluation of new symptoms in a new patient Evaluation of symptoms consistent with COVID-19, with warning signs including shortness of breath, altered mental status, or other indications of severe disease	We would not recommend postponing in-person evaluation; consider triage to appropriate facility/level of care as necessary

^*FQHC/RHC = Federally Qualified Health Care/Rural Health Clinics, and HOPD = Hospital Outpatient Department. †If a practice can provide only limited well child visits, health-care providers are encouraged to prioritize newborn care and vaccination of infants and young children (through 24 months of age) when possible (see also Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] guidance for further information: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/healthcare-facilities/index.html).