Colorado COVID-19 Telehealth Updates
Please find the latest updates from the major commercial health insurance payers in Colorado with more information on how they will be handling COVID-19 moving forward. As you very well know, the health plans have been changing their policies and procedures in response to COVID-19 as the Public Health Emergency (PHE) continues to unfold. These rolling changes will impact benefits for members and will also influence some of the services you may provide.
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This update has information from each health plan to keep you informed on any updated timelines, member cost-sharing responsibility, and covered services for the remainder of the PHE. As you can see, most of the dates for telehealth services have been pushed back to allow continued services for members at home.
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Your team at WHP will continue to monitor the coming changes to keep you up to date any new timelines or rule updates. Based on the current track record, we suspect this will all change again. Click here to download and print the PDF.
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It is not breaking news that COVID-19 is affecting every aspect of society and our overall health. In an August 14, 2020 release from the American Medical Association (AMA), the under-reported issue of opioid-related overdoses is discussed. Read below to find out more.nnAccording to this brief, “More than 40 states have reported increases in opioid-related mortality as well as ongoing concerns for those with a mental illness or substance use disorder in counties and other areas within the state”. Included in this brief are links for individual state reports regarding substance abuse and the AMA’s request for action by governors and state legislatures.nnWhen managing patients with chronic pain who have been prescribed opioid treatments there are certain requirements these patients must adhere to in order to remain on opioid treatment. These requirements, like almost every other aspect of our lives has been interrupted. What is your practice and clinical staff doing to stay compliant with opioid prescriptions?nn
With COVID-19 being a huge concern when considering sending your kids back to school, educational facilities are advised to be extra diligent in their cleaning, disinfecting, and social distancing procedures. Still though, sending your child to school during a pandemic can cause your stress levels to increase. Take a look at the articles provided below to gather some back to school advice from medical professionals.nnAny parent will tell you that stress levels leading up to the start of a new school year are bad enough in a normal year. Now enter COVID-19, and parents, teachers, administrators and even students can increase stress levels to dangerous levels.nnSo here are a few great links we think can help you make informed decisions regarding your children.n
nnCMS got a jumpstart on the 2021 ICD-10-CM guidelines regarding COVID-19, releasing these new regulations just a few weeks ago. The guidelines cover reporting COVID cases that are respiratory, non-respiratory, in pregnancy, and in newborns. Keep reading for more details on these guidelines.nnCMS released the 2021 ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting on July 8, several weeks earlier than usual. The coding guidelines, which take effect October 1, include new instructions for reporting manifestations of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), among other changes.nnThe guidelines include a new section for COVID-19 that expands on the temporary coding guidelines posted in April by the ICD-10-CM Coordination and Maintenance Committee. Coders should note that the temporary guidelines will expire September 30.nnNew instructions for reporting ICD-10-CM code U07.1 (2019-nCoV acute respiratory disease) include the following:nnAcute respiratory manifestations of COVID-19.n
CMS is looking for public comments on the changes of the 2021 E/M codes. The added code focuses on services and resources suited to individual patients regarding ongoing and long-term illness. Keep reading to learn more about the addition of this code.nnWith the proposed 2021 Evaluation & Management (E/M) changes final rule on track to be released November 1, 2020, CMS is currently seeking public comment regarding the addition of code GPC1X [Complex visit w med care svs].nnCMS is looking for comment on the codes intended use as previous descriptions were found to be “unclear”. This code was created with the intent of supporting the longitudinal care of patients, however, CMS has received several concerns that the description could be interpreted as applicable to every office or outpatient E/M visit.nnIn the proposed rule, the agency states “We continue to believe that the time, intensity, and PE involved in furnishing services to patients on an ongoing basis that result in a comprehensive, longitudinal, and continuous relationship with the patient and involves the delivery of team-based care that is accessible, coordinated with other practitioners and providers, and integrated with the broader health care landscape, are not adequately described by the revised office/outpatient E/M visit code set. We believe the inclusion of HCPCS add-on code GPC1X appropriately recognizes the resources involved when practitioners furnish services that are best suited to patients’ ongoing care needs and potentially evolving illness. We also believe the work reflected in HCPCS add-on code GPC1X is inherently distinct from existing coding that describes preventive and cares management services.”nnSubmissions are due before 11:59 PM on October 5, 2020.nn