Mobile Cardiovascular Telemetry: Physician Office Billing
The technical component (93229) of Mobile cardiovascular telemetry (MCT) may be rendered in physician offices, independent diagnostic testing facilities (IDTFs), and other locations. Historically, IDTFs were the primary places of service for two reasons:
1. The hardware and software needed to facilitate MCT was price-prohibitive.
2. According to the American Medical Association’s CPT instructions, rendering the service requires “the immediate availability of a remote technician.” With legacy monitoring technology, this was not practical for most organizations.
Recent technological advances enable physician offices to provide the technical component of MCT in house. Novel technologies enable healthcare organizations to provide, bill, and receive payment for the technical component of MCT. These types of platforms include patient wearable hardware and a cloud-based engine that receives, analyzes, and provides direct physician access to complete patient data.
Current payment policy establishes that CPT code 93229 can be compensated when the technical component of MCT is performed in a physician office:
1. The hardware and software needed to facilitate MCT was price-prohibitive.
2. According to the American Medical Association’s CPT instructions, rendering the service requires “the immediate availability of a remote technician.” With legacy monitoring technology, this was not practical for most organizations.
Recent technological advances enable physician offices to provide the technical component of MCT in house. Novel technologies enable healthcare organizations to provide, bill, and receive payment for the technical component of MCT. These types of platforms include patient wearable hardware and a cloud-based engine that receives, analyzes, and provides direct physician access to complete patient data.
Current payment policy establishes that CPT code 93229 can be compensated when the technical component of MCT is performed in a physician office:
National Medicare Office Official: “Each Medicare Administrative Contractor determines which place of service (POS) code(s) can be billed with each procedure code, unless there is a specific CMS policy stating the POS code(s) that are allowed to be billed for a particular procedure code.”
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Novitas: ”A receiving center is a facility, such as a physician’s office, Independent Diagnostic Testing Facility (IDTF) or other specified station that is equipped and staffed with qualified personnel to assess electrocardiographic data and to initiate appropriate management action.”
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CGS: “Following the recording of events, the patient transmits data via telephone to a physician's office, hospital facility, IDTF, or other specified station that is equipped and staffed to assess electrocardiographic data and to initiate appropriate management action.”
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