Modifier 93: Audio-Only Telehealth
Modifier 93 marks a telehealth visit done by phone or other audio-only link. When Medicare allows audio-only care, billing 99214 with 93, and 93 vs 95 vs FQ.
Modifier 93 is a billing modifier that tells the payer a telehealth service was delivered in real time over audio only, such as a phone call, instead of video. Medicare requires it on audio-only telehealth claims and pays the same rate as a video or in-person visit; the place of service code, not the modifier, decides whether you get the office or facility rate.
Key takeaways
- Since January 1, 2025, Medicare allows audio-only for any telehealth service to a patient at home if the practitioner can do video but the patient can't, or doesn't consent to, video.
- Bill the regular E/M code (for example 99214) with 93. Medicare doesn't recognize the newer telemedicine E/M codes 98000–98015.
- 93 doesn't change payment. POS 10 (patient's home) pays the non-facility rate; POS 02 pays the facility rate.
- RHCs and FQHCs use modifier FQ instead.
- Congress extended the home-telehealth flexibilities for non-behavioral services through December 31, 2027.
Modifier 93 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
99214 without 93 · national office
$135.61
Office visit
99214-93 · No change to the rate
$135.61
Marks an audio-only telehealth service. Payment follows the code and place of service.
When to use modifier 93
Use 93 on a Medicare telehealth claim when all of these are true:
- The service is on the Medicare Telehealth Services List. Office and outpatient E/M visits 99202–99215 and psychotherapy codes such as 90834 and 90837 are.
- The patient is at home. CMS's audio-only definition applies only to services furnished to a beneficiary in their home.
- The practitioner was able to use video, but the patient couldn't use it or didn't agree to. Document that reason in the note.
- The whole interaction was real-time audio. If any part used video, it's an audio-video visit.
Behavioral and mental health services to a patient at home may also be furnished audio-only (MLN901705), and the in-person visit requirement for those services is waived through December 31, 2027 under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026.
Example. An established patient with diabetes can't get video to work, so the physician completes a moderate-complexity follow-up by phone. Bill 99214-93 with POS 10. Choose the visit level by medical decision making or total time, exactly as for an in-person visit.
When not to use modifier 93
- Video visits. Use the telehealth POS code, and modifier 95 where the payer requires it.
- Brief check-ins and other communication-technology services. Codes such as the virtual check-in 98016 are already defined as non-face-to-face services; they aren't telehealth and don't need 93.
- Patient not at home. Audio-only isn't allowed for Medicare telehealth when the patient is at a facility or office originating site.
- RHC and FQHC claims. Use FQ.
- The practitioner didn't have video capability. CMS's definition assumes the distant site practitioner could have used video.
How modifier 93 affects payment
Modifier 93 has no payment effect. CMS pays telehealth services furnished to patients at home at the non-facility PFS rate (POS 10), and services to patients outside the home at the facility rate (POS 02) (MLN901705). The 93 modifier identifies the technology; the POS code sets the rate.
Place of service · 99214
Which rate does Medicare pay?
The POS code on the claim line (CMS-1500 box 24B).
Non-facility (office) rate · national
$135.61
The facility rate would be $84.50 (+$51.11). In a facility, the facility bills its own costs separately.
Modifier 93 vs 95, FQ and GT
| Modifier | Meaning | Who uses it |
|---|---|---|
| 93 | Real-time audio-only telehealth | Physicians and practitioners on professional claims |
| 95 | Real-time audio and video telehealth | Payers that require it; some institutional Medicare claims |
| FQ | Service furnished using audio-only technology | RHCs and FQHCs only |
| GT | Telehealth via interactive audio and video | CAH method II institutional claims only |
FAQ
What's the difference between modifier 93 and 95?
93 is for audio-only telehealth, such as a phone visit. 95 is for real-time audio and video. Neither changes Medicare's payment; they identify the technology used.
Can modifier 93 be used with 99214?
Yes. Office and outpatient E/M codes are on the Medicare telehealth list, so an audio-only visit with a patient at home is billed 99214-93 when the patient couldn't use or didn't consent to video.
What does modifier 93 indicate?
That the service was delivered in real time by telephone or another audio-only connection, with no video.
Does modifier 93 reduce payment?
No. Medicare pays the same rate as for a video telehealth visit. The place of service code decides whether the non-facility or facility rate applies.
Is audio-only telehealth still covered by Medicare in 2026?
Yes. Audio-only for patients at home is part of CMS's permanent telehealth definition since 2025, and Congress extended the broader home-telehealth flexibilities through December 31, 2027.
Keep reading
- Modifier 95 for audio-video telehealth.
- Modifier 25 when a procedure and visit happen on the same day.
- Codes on this page: 99214 99213 90834 90837 98016
Sources: CMS CY 2025 Physician Fee Schedule final rule fact sheet; CMS MLN901705, Telehealth & Remote Monitoring (December 2025); First Coast, Telehealth service modifiers (February 17, 2026); Noridian, Telehealth E/M services for 2025 (March 6, 2025); Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026; CMS Telehealth FAQ (updated February 26, 2026). Verified October 6, 2026.
