Wiki Cerumen removal during telehealth visit

[jackieg]

How to code the following:

Telehealth visit on Medicare patient. Patient came in for ear pain. Physician saw patient virtually. Ears were impacted. Nurse removed cerumen. How the heck do I code this thing?

 

[thomas7331]

How to code the following:

Telehealth visit on Medicare patient. Patient came in for ear pain. Physician saw patient virtually. Ears were impacted. Nurse removed cerumen. How the heck do I code this thing?

Cerumen removal is not a service that is eligible for Medicare payment under telehealth. If you are coding for the originating site where the nurse is located, you may be able to bill an 'incident to' or facility fee for that service if the requirements have been met, but if the nurse was not directly supervised, then this is not eligible for payment. The distant site physician cannot charge for this.