In an agreement with the American Academy of Neurology, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has elected to add neurobehavioral status exam code 96116 to its list of covered Medicare telehealth services, effective Jan. 1, 2008.
Previously, CMS determined that, if the eligibility criteria and conditions of payment are satisfied, the use of a telecommunications system may substitute for a face-to-face, "hands on" encounter for consultation, office visits, individual psychotherapy, pharmacologic management, psychiatric diagnostic interview examination, end stage renal disease related services, and individual medical nutrition therapy.
The federal agency decided not to include subsequent hospital care of neuropsychological testing on the list of telehealth services, noting that further study is needed.
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