CMS recently posted updates to the
List of Telehealth Services for Calendar Year 2021. This update includes several new services that can be furnished by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and audiologists when furnished via telecommunications technology during the current COVID-19 public health emergency.
Below are the Current Procedural Terminology codes now included on the Medicare telehealth services list for use during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speech-Language Pathology Services:
- 92526, Treatment of swallowing dysfunction and/or oral function for feeding
- 92607, Evaluation for prescription for speech-generating augmentative and alternative communication device, face-to-face with the patient; first hour
- 92608, Evaluation for prescription for speech-generating augmentative and alternative communication device, face-to-face with the patient; each additional 30 minutes
- 92609, Therapeutic services for the use of speech-generating device, including programming and modification
- 92610, Evaluation of oral and pharyngeal swallowing function
- 96105, Assessment of aphasia (includes assessment of expressive and receptive speech and language function, language comprehension, speech production ability, reading, spelling, writing, eg, by Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination) with interpretation and report, per hour
- 96125, Standardized cognitive performance testing (eg, Ross Information Processing Assessment) per hour of a qualified health care professional's time, both face-to-face time administering tests to the patient and time interpreting these test results and preparing the report
- 97129, Therapeutic interventions that focus on cognitive function (eg, attention, memory, reasoning, executive function, problem solving, and/or pragmatic functioning) and compensatory strategies to manage the performance of an activity (eg, managing time or schedules, initiating, organizing, and sequencing tasks), direct (one-on-one) patient contact; initial 15 minutes
- 97130, Therapeutic interventions that focus on cognitive function (eg, attention, memory, reasoning, executive function, problem solving, and/or pragmatic functioning) and compensatory strategies to manage the performance of an activity (eg, managing time or schedules, initiating, organizing, and sequencing tasks), direct (one-on-one) patient contact; each additional 15 minutes (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure)
Audiology Services:
- 92550, Tympanometry and reflex threshold measurements
- 92552, Pure tone audiometry (threshold); air only
- 92553, Pure tone audiometry (threshold); air and bone
- 92555, Speech audiometry threshold
- 92556, Speech audiometry threshold; with speech recognition
- 92557, Comprehensive audiometry threshold evaluation and speech recognition
- 92563, Tone decay test
- 92565, Stenger test, pure tone
- 92567, Tympanometry (impedance testing)
- 92568, Acoustic reflex testing, threshold
- 92570, Acoustic immittance testing, includes tympanometry (impedance testing), acoustic reflex threshold testing, and acoustic reflex decay testing
- 92587, Distortion product evoked otoacoustic emissions; limited evaluation (to confirm the presence or absence of hearing disorder, 3-6 frequencies) or transient evoked otoacoustic emissions, with interpretation and report
- 92625, Assessment of tinnitus (includes pitch, loudness matching, and masking)
- 92626, Evaluation of auditory function for surgically implanted device(s) candidacy or postoperative status of a surgically implanted device(s); first hour
- 92627, Evaluation of auditory function for surgically implanted device(s) candidacy or postoperative status of a surgically implanted device(s); each additional 15 minutes
Additional Medicare telehealth coverage and coding guidance during the COVID-19 PHE can be found in the following locations: