OneHealth Bighorn Valley Health Center

The following is a testimonial from OneHealth Bighorn Valley Health Center. 

The Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center has been helpful in understanding the newest Medicare information regarding Mental Health visits. The new Medicare information that FQ is for audio only visits is a bit frustrating given that there is no real definition provided by CMS on what “telecommunications” means.

As an individual who grew up having the definition of telecommunications mean all kinds of different things, including email, fax, telephone, using internet application to communicate with others, and using web cams and microphones to also communicate using an application over the internet, it was difficult to know what “audio only telecommunications” means.

Many other things I have read state the FQ modifier is for telehealth visits without a visual component. Which to me doesn’t sound like a telephone is acceptable for. But with the NRTRC’s help, now I understand that telephone is considered audio-only.