99344 Home visit Medicare reimbursement rates in Alabama

A physician or other qualified health care professional evaluates a new patient in the patient’s home or another residential setting, such as an assisted-living residence or group home. The visit may address an acute concern, a change in chronic disease, medication management, or several ongoing conditions when care is provided in the residence. The clinician obtains a medically appropriate history and/or examination and develops or updates the plan of care; this code is for a home or residential encounter, not a nursing-facility visit.

Select 99344 when the documented medical decision making is moderate. Alternatively, code selection may use total qualifying physician or qualified health care professional time on the encounter date; 60 minutes must be met or exceeded. Documentation should establish new-patient status and the residence setting, and support the problems assessed, data reviewed, and management risk underlying the level selected. CMS pays the service under the physician fee schedule, with relative value units for clinician work, practice expense, and malpractice.