Eyeworld

N MAY 2020 | EYEWORLD | 37 Contact Habash: ranya@habash.net as well as the monitoring device. To qualify, there must be more the 20 minutes of monitor- ing per month, including communication with the patient. Dr. Habash spoke about the options for "hybrid tele-visits." These might be used when a patient has a medical necessity to come to the office for a specific test or expedited workup, then the physician reviews the testing and cor- responds with the patient about results via call or video chat. For these, practices would bill an E/M code just like an office visit, Dr. Habash said. This option may help in several ways, she said, by keeping emergent patients cared for while reducing exposure potential among patients, staff, and physicians. in-person visits and are paid at the same rate as in-person visits. There is also flexibility in waiving deductibles and copays, and prior au- thorization requirements have been suspended. Non-Medicare payors are encouraged to follow the same CMS guidelines for coverage during this time, and most private payors are offering $0 copays for telemedicine visits. Additionally, the narrow scope of certain diagnostic codes is dropped, and practicing across state lines is now authorized by Medicare. Physicians licensed in one state can provide services to Medicare beneficiaries in another state (state licensure laws still apply). Dr. Habash also highlighted some best practices for implementing telemedicine pro- grams: • Engage office staff for administration of telehealth and continuity of care • Establish phone call routing, emergency calls, and route requests for telemedicine • Be proactive; go through existing schedules to identify patients for telehealth • Create telemedicine consent forms (she said there are many resources online for this) • Use video platforms, like Zoom, Skype, Face- Time, Doximity, and Microsoft Teams • Engage patients with apps • Use templates for telemedicine encounters • Send email announcements to patients such as: "Great news! Your doctor is now offer- ing telemedicine visits to keep you cared for during this crisis …" (patients appreciate this rather than a message saying the office is closed during this time) Dr. Habash discussed coding for telemed- icine visits, as this has changed as well. She discussed video visits, phone calls, virtual check- ins, reviewing photos, e-visits, and doctor to doctor consults for both the consulting doctor and the referring doctor. The included chart provides a summary of these services, which codes to use, and reimbursement for each. For practices using remote monitor- ing, there are code options for setup (99453, $18.77), the device (99454, $62.44/month), and monitoring (99457, $51.61/month). This covers setup and patient education on the equipment COVID-19 update (as of April 28, 2020) •981,246 U.S. cases, according to CDC •55,258 U.S. deaths, according to CDC •2,954,222 cases worldwide, according to WHO •202,597 deaths worldwide, according to WHO Treatment: No proven curative treat ment; various treatments in clinical trials Vaccine: Vaccine trials have begun in the U.S. Relevant disclosures Habash: None

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