Alabama Specific Resources
The information below pertains to the major payers in Alabama as of 3/18/2020 –
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama is allowing providers to bill for phone call treatment of
existing patients under the established patient office visit codes from 3/16/2020 – 4/16/2020.
They are allowing codes up to 99213 with place of service code 02 (zero two) for telehealth.
No modifier is required. Many providers are concerned about reaching that level of service
when no examination can be performed. Remember that established patient office visits require
only two of the three key components – history, examination, medical decision-making. If the
physician documents an expanded problem-focused history and low complexity medical
decision-making, 99213 will be supported. This must be the physician speaking with the patient,
not the office staff.
For more info: Medical Association of the State of Alabama
HIPPA Compliant Teleconference Platform Options:
The Physicians Foundation Announces The Telehealth Initiative to Improve Access to Quality Health Care
The Physicians Foundation, American Medical Association, Florida Medical Association, Massachusetts Medical Society and Texas Medical Association, today announced the launch of The Telehealth Initiative, which helps physicians implement telehealth services. With the current COVID-19 crisis, the organizations moved up the Initiative’s launch to support physicians in their shift to telehealth models as a means to reduce exposure and minimize surges in care facilities.
The current COVID-19 crisis reinforces the need for physician access to practical resources that will enable them to operate telehealth services efficiently while facilitating positive care team and patient experiences. Through The Telehealth Initiative, physicians are able to participate in immersive evidence-based coaching that will help improve patient access, experience and outcomes while maintaining continuity of care when fully implemented.
The program helps participating physicians redesign their practices to successfully provide telehealth services to their patients. Additionally, the Initiative is providing free, online access to resources to encourage all physicians to consider telehealth services in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Telehealth will help physicians respond to surges in sick patients needing care and protect non-infected patients with other acute or chronic conditions from potential exposure to the virus.
Resources available include:
The Telehealth Initiative organizational leaders shared the following:
About The Physicians Foundation
About the American Medical Association
About the Florida Medical Association
Resources from the AMA – No Membership Required
The American Medical Association (AMA) provides their Digital Health Implementation Playbook free of charge online, regardless of membership status. It offers key steps, best practices and resources to accelerate the adoption and scale of digital health solutions. The step-by-step guide to implementing remote patient monitoring will support patient compliance efforts, and the real practice case studies may be of vital importance as you fine tune your implementation plans.
The AMA also offers a CME module, a total of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, on Health Information Technology, including telehealth, at no cost. Learn more on the AMA’s Ed Hub.
Federal Resources: HealthIT.gov
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) operates HealthIT.gov, with resources available for patients and health care organizations. Their web page on telemedicine and telehealth offers the following resources, which may be of particular use to practices during the process of implementing telehealth in their practice:
Other Organizations and Initiatives
Special thanks to the Montgomery County (MD) Medical Society for much of the information on this page.
Serving You.