Monitoring Device: Telehealth, or health delivered remotely, has been around for decades. While the healthcare system has increasingly accepted and relied on remote care, progress and urgency have increased with developments such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
Nurse helplines and phone appointments with doctors are among the most familiar and earliest examples of telemedicine. More recent examples include ordering medical supplies and medications online, emailing your doctor, searching for health information on the internet, and, of course, using mobile apps such as Lark to manage chronic conditions.
Remote patient monitoring is an example of a telehealth solution that has so much potential value that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) are now covering it. It has its own CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) code, 99091, so healthcare professionals can bill specifically for time spent on it. With this support, digital solutions such as Lark can be even more valuable for healthcare professionals and patients alike as Lark facilitates remote patient monitoring while driving improved health outcomes.
COVID-19 and Expansion of Telemedicine
- Improving chronic care management (CCM) so there are fewer complications and visits to hospitals and emergency rooms. Digital solutions, such as Lark for Hypertension and Lark for Diabetes, can support patient self-management of conditions so patients stay as healthy as possible.
- Switching to video appointments and other remote care options for patients who need to talk to a doctor, but who may be able to get the information and help they need by discussing it with a doctor over the internet instead of going into the clinic.
Qualifying for CPT Code 99091 Reimbursement
As with any CPT code, CPT code 99091 claims must meet certain criteria to qualify for Medicare reimbursement.
- Data must be transmitted in real-time to the provider. Lark, for example, is able to send data such as patient blood glucose and blood pressure as soon as patients take measurements.
- Data must be patient-generated. In Lark, patient-generated data include not only blood pressure or blood sugar measurements, but also any weight measurements, foods, sleep data, and physical activity data that are recorded.
- Data must be digitally stored as health data. Lark is fully set up to comply with health data storage requirements.
- Patients must receive feedback digitally, such as via text message or email. Lark’s text-based interface offers instant feedback when users enter data manually or via automatic syncing from associated devices.
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