While Medicare discontinued payment allowance for consultation services (ranges 99241-99245 and 99251-99255) in January 2010, many commercial carriers have continued to cover these services. United Healthcare is now joining Medicare's opinion on consultation services.
In the June 2017 edition of the United HealthCare Bulletin, United Healthcare has announced that effective October 1, 2017, they will discontinue payment of CPT codes for consultation services.
According to UnitedHealthcare, effective October 1, 2017 it will reimburse the appropriate E/M procedure code in lieu of a consultation code. This change will align UnitedHealthcare with CMS' policies regarding payment for consultation codes.
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Source: NAMAS
NAMAS delivers preparation classes for the AAPC CPMA® exam as well as continuing education opportunities for medical auditors. Other professionals such as coders, practice managers, physicians, mid-level providers, and compliance officers find our educational programs extremely beneficial in improving the effectiveness of their work.