Best Practices for Discussing and Billing for Advance Care Planning

Beginning January 1, 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services began reimbursing for time spent discussing advance care planning (ACP) with patients. The two new current procedural technology (CPT) and ACP codes (99497 and 99498) are used to report the face-to-face service between a physician or other qualified health care professional and a patient, family member or surrogate in counseling ,and discussing advance directives, with or without completing relevant legal forms. This session will discuss the value of ACP, the new ACP code, when to consider using it, and how to meet the requirements of the code. Practical examples and case studies will be discussed including tips on how to discuss ACP or serious illness and medical intervention.