In these times of crisis, we applaud everyone for doing our part to help our communities near and far.  Minimizing unnecessary patient traffic plays a critical role in flattening the curve.  Telemedicine has been a crucial tool in addressing the challenge of continuing to care for our patients’ needs during times of lockdowns and social distancing. 

As many of you know, CMS has expanded Telehealth coverage with the 1135 waiver.  In addition, the government has announced it will not pursue HIPAA violations that might be incurred due to Telehealth. This allows physicians to use non-HIPAA compliant options like FaceTime and WhatsApp with their patients.  The obvious downside to this setup is physicians are then forced to use their personal phones to enable videocalls with patients. 

We felt it was important to have a HIPAA compliant option that protected physicians’ privacy that was cost effective and easy to use.  AAPI is pleased to announce that CureCompanion is now our exclusive telehealth platform partner. As a benefit of this partnership, CureCompanion is offering a special discounted subscription plan to AAPI members at $25/month/practice, which includes unlimited HD video visits and messaging, as well as unlimited user accounts (as opposed to most platforms that charge per provider). With easy-to-use apps for iOS, Android, and web, CureCompanion allows doctors to provide telehealth visits to their patients using their own phone, tablet, or computer. Sign up your practice now using the link: https://curecompanion.com/app/aapi-member-plan

Cure Companion has been very accommodating to our requests.  They are working on a free “Lite” Version that we hope will soon be available for our members as well.  They continue to optimize the platform so users may notice ongoing improvements over the next couple weeks, but we wanted to share access to this platform with our members as soon as possible.

In addition, some reminders about Telemedicine implementation.  Please check with your malpractice carrier for coverage.  Most insurers are providing free coverage during this crisis.  Patients should be consented, either verbally or through the app (coming soon via CureCompanion). Please refer to the table below for billing codes. Reminder that the usual office E & M codes (99201-99215) require synchronous video and cannot be phone only (without video component) calls.  Also, there are other time-based codes available, but we recommend using the codes in the table below for the best reimbursement. 

Also a reminder, if interested in learning more about telemedicine, please enroll in this informative Masterclass using the link: https://innovatehealth.teachable.com/?affcode=311503_plld3yoz

Sign up your practice at: https://curecompanion.com/app/aapi-member-plan

For questions or concerns, email contact@curecompanion.com or call (512) 967-0664.

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