As a part of its policy agenda to improve the health and wellbeing of Medicare beneficiaries living with chronic conditions, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is educating providers on the appropriate use of chronic care management codes (CCM). CMS recently released educational materials about the value, structure, and required documentation to support the use of chronic care management services represented by CPT codes 99490, +99439, 99491, +99437, 99487, and +99489 for chronic care management and HCPCS codes G3002 and +G3003 for chronic pain management. By doing so, the administration hopes to advance chronic care management as means to improving outcomes for patients living with multiple chronic conditions, while also supporting the sustainability of practices that provide this essential, often time-intensive work.
Consider using CCM codes to capture non–face-to-face care coordination activities that keep patients stable, reduce avoidable hospitalizations, and strengthen continuity of care. Billing for these services requires adherence to specific guidelines and documentation. To ensure appropriate use of the codes, CMS provides education via the Chronic Care Management Services booklet, which provides detailed information on patient eligibility, patient consent, the required documentation that supports the billing of CCM services and other valuable information.