MPP is pleased to announce we are partnering with the McLaren Health Care Telehealth team to offer our independent physicians access to a HIPAA compliant Telehealth platform called Zoom for Healthcare. This platform is one of the platforms McLaren physician providers are currently utilizing to provide video visits. MPP will be covering the cost of the platform for your practice for the first 180 days. Provider participation is at the practice level on a month to month basis.
Patient access to their providers is critical during this COVID-19 pandemic. However, in an effort to limit a patient’s exposure, many offices are limiting access or closing altogether. Providing Telehealth video visits is an excellent alternative to face-to-face office visits. Providers can bill the same E/M codes you would bill in a typically office visit.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is waiving a number of telehealth rules during the COVID-19 public health emergency to encourage physicians to evaluate and treat patients remotely, when possible.
- Originating site requirement is suspended. This means patients can receive telehealth services anywhere, including their homes, no matter where they live.
- Established patient requirement not enforced. During the public health emergency, HHS will not be conducting audits to confirm that telehealth patients have an established relationship with the clinician. That means a new patient who calls seeking an appointment could be provided one via telehealth.
- These rules currently apply to Medicare. Some private payers have followed suit. Check with payers in your area if you are unsure of their policies.
- Most payors, Blue Cross and Medicare, are reimbursing Telehealth (billed under distinct CPT codes for telehealth) the same amount as face to face clinic visits.
- Implementation priority will be Primary Care followed by Specialists.
If you are interested in providing Telehealth visits for your patients, please fill out the attached spreadsheet and return to Kim.Hamm@McLaren.org, for more information or questions please contact Dr. Ziccardi at 810 610 1038 or Michael.Ziccardi@McLaren.org