Tech & Innovation in Healthcare

Question: I’ve been fascinated by your coverage of VR in Tech & Innovation in Healthcare. >Have there been any coding updates related to the technology?

Nevada Subscriber

Answer: The 2023 CPT^® code set saw the addition of five Category III codes that pertain to virtual reality (VR) technology services. These temporary codes include:

• +0770T (Virtual reality technology to assist therapy (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure))
• 0771T (Virtual reality (VR) procedural dissociation services provided by the same physician or other qualified health care professional performing the diagnostic or therapeutic service that the VR procedural dissociation supports, requiring the presence of an independent, trained observer to assist in the monitoring of the patient’s level of dissociation or consciousness and physiological status; initial 15 minutes of intraservice time, patient age 5 years or older)
• +0772T (… each additional 15 minutes intraservice time (List separately in addition to code for primary service))
• 0773T (Virtual reality (VR) procedural dissociation services provided by a physician or other qualified health care professional other than the physician or other qualified health care professional performing the diagnostic or therapeutic service that the VR procedural dissociation supports; initial 15 minutes of intraservice time, patient age 5 years or older)
• +0774T (…each additional 15 minutes intraservice time (List separately in addition to code for primary service))

Add-on code +0770T is designated for VR use to help the patient learn an important skill, whereas 0771T through +0774T are services that are geared toward helping the patient feel more comfortable during a separate diagnostic or therapeutic service.

Until recently, these were the only VR-related codes for medical coders.

However, on March 21, 2023, AppliedVR announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) established a HCPCS Level II code for the company’s RelieVRx program. CMS established the HCPCS Level II code, E1905 (Virtual reality cognitive behavioral therapy device (cbt), including pre-programmed therapy software), as an item of durable medical equipment (DME). CMS also noted that E1905 goes into effect on April 1, 2023.

According to AppliedVR, this is a big step in VR’s acceptance as a therapeutic treatment option. “It’s finally time to more fully embrace ITx and move toward its use becoming more towards standard of care rather than a ‘one off’ niche solution in the treatment of chronic lower back pain, for example. We envision Immersive Therapeutics as a future alternative to a lifetime of pills or costly surgeries,” said Matthew Stoudt, co-founder and CEO of AppliedVR, in a press release.