On April 30, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released an interim final rule making additional policy changes in response to COVID-19. Among several changes, and reflecting AAFP advocacy, CMS is increasing reimbursement for the telephonic E/M visits (CPT codes 99441-99443) to the same rate as regular, in-office E/M visits (99212-99214). This would increase payments for these services from a range of approximately $14-$41 to about $46-$110. The payments are retroactive to March 1, 2020. This will enable physicians to better care for their patients, especially elderly patients with chronic conditions and patients in rural communities who may not have access to audio-visual technology or high-speed internet.
