The South Central Region Virtual Visit Billing Guides have been updated with the most recent payor changes. Below is this announcement's most recent updates, or click on any state to go directly to that state's guide.
The quarterly updates to the Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi Virtual Visit Billing Guides are now available!
The Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act of 2026 (H.R. 5371) extended current telehealth flexibilities, retroactive to October 1, and allows the flexibilities outlined below to remain in effect through January 30, 2026. In addition, CMS released the Calendar Year 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule (CMS-1832-F), which includes several important telehealth policy changes summarized below.
Medicare
Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act of 2026 (H.R. 5371):
- Extends certain telehealth flexibilities for Medicare patients through January 30th, 2026
- Originating Site & Geographic Restriction waived
- Allows physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and audiologists to furnish Medicare Telehealth services
- In-person requirement for mental health services via telehealth waived
- FQHCs/RHCs can serve as distant site providers for non-behavioral telehealth
Calendar Year (CY) 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule (CMS-1832-F) changes effective January 1st, 2026:
- Medicare Telehealth Services List: CMS removed the distinction between provisional and permanent services to streamline the review process.
- Frequency Limitations: CMS removed frequency limitations for subsequent inpatient visits, subsequent nursing facility visits, and critical care consultations.
- Supervision: For services required to be performed under the direct supervision of a physician or other supervising practitioner, CMS permanently adopted a definition of direct supervision that allows the physician or supervising practitioner to provide such supervision through real-time, audio-visual interactive telecommunications (excluding audio-only).
- Except for services that have a global surgery indicator of 010 or 090, CMS will allow a physician or other supervising practitioner to provide such virtual direct supervision for applicable incident-to services under § 410.26, diagnostic tests under § 410.32, pulmonary rehabilitation services under § 410.47, and cardiac rehabilitation and intensive cardiac rehabilitation services under § 410.49.
- Teaching Physicians: CMS did not extend its current policy to allow teaching physicians to have a virtual presence for purposes of billing for services furnished involving residents in all teaching settings. However, CMS will permanently allow teaching physicians to have a virtual presence in all teaching settings only in clinical instances when the service is furnished completely virtually.
- RHC/FQHC CTBS and Remote Evaluation Services: RHCs and FQHCs will be required to report the individual codes that make up both the CoCM and Communications Technology-Based Services (CTBS) and Remote Evaluation Services, rather than billing HCPCS codes G0512 and G0071.
- RHC/FQHC Supervision: For RHC and FQHC services requiring direct supervision, CMS permanently adopted a definition of direct supervision that allows the physician or supervising practitioner to provide such supervision through real-time, audio-visual interactive telecommunications (excluding audio-only).
- RHC/FQHC Non-Behavioral Health Visits: For non-behavioral health visits furnished via telecommunication technology, RHCs and FQHCs may bill for services furnished using telecommunication technology by reporting HCPCS code G2025 on the claim, including services furnished using audio-only communications technology, through December 31, 2026.
UHC Community Plan of Tennessee
- A state-specific allowable telehealth code list for Tennessee was developed
