Primary Care Coding Alert

New coverage announcement brings good news for physicians who haven't collected in the past. If you've been writing off tobacco cessation counseling as non-payable, it's time to change your tune. The change: In the past, you could collect for tobacco cessation counseling for a patient with a tobacco-related disease or with signs or symptoms of one. But on Aug. 25, CMS announced that "under new coverage, any smoker covered by Medicare will be able to receive tobacco cessation counseling from a qualified physician or other Medicarerecognized practitioner who can work with them to help them stop using tobacco." "For too long, many tobacco users with Medicare coverage were denied access to evidencebased tobacco cessation counseling," said Kathleen Sebelius, HHS secretary, in an Aug. 25 statement. "Most Medicare beneficiaries want to quit their tobacco use. Now, older adults and other Medicare beneficiaries can get the help they need to successfully overcome [...]