Study for the Medical Billing and Coding Exam. Enhance your skills with flashcards and multiple choice questions, each with detailed hints and explanations. Get ready to excel in your exam!

Multiple Choice

What is the standard approach to billing telehealth services under CPT/HCPCS?

Billing telehealth uses the same CPT/HCPCS code that describes the service, but you must signal that it was delivered remotely. Report the actual service code and add a telehealth modifier to indicate the encounter occurred via telecommunication. The modifier 95 is the most common way to denote a real-time telemedicine visit, though some payers may require a different modifier (or a telehealth place-of-service indicator)—so you follow the payer’s policy. Set the place of service to reflect telehealth, typically 02, so the claim shows the encounter happened through telecommunication rather than in a clinic. This combination ensures correct reimbursement and aligns with coding rules. Using standard codes with no telehealth signal can lead to denial or incorrect payment, and telehealth-specific codes are not universally required; ICD-10-CM codes are for diagnoses, not for indicating the service delivery method.

Billing telehealth uses the same CPT/HCPCS code that describes the service, but you must signal that it was delivered remotely. Report the actual service code and add a telehealth modifier to indicate the encounter occurred via telecommunication. The modifier 95 is the most common way to denote a real-time telemedicine visit, though some payers may require a different modifier (or a telehealth place-of-service indicator)—so you follow the payer’s policy. Set the place of service to reflect telehealth, typically 02, so the claim shows the encounter happened through telecommunication rather than in a clinic. This combination ensures correct reimbursement and aligns with coding rules. Using standard codes with no telehealth signal can lead to denial or incorrect payment, and telehealth-specific codes are not universally required; ICD-10-CM codes are for diagnoses, not for indicating the service delivery method.