Introduction
Physicians are increasingly integrating digitally enabled care into their practices. Given the rapid adoption and unique nature of digital medicine services, the AMA has developed this handbook as a supportive resource for physicians navigating virtual care delivery.
The Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) code set provides standardized descriptions and codes for medical services performed by physicians and care team members. To reflect the evolving landscape of digital health, the availability of digital medicine codes has significantly expanded, including those for remote consultations and remote monitoring services.
Overview
This handbook (PDF) is designed to guide physicians in effectively providing digitally enabled care services. It outlines CPT coding guidance for common digital medicine encounters, explains Place of Service (POS) codes and Modifiers, and clarifies how recent changes—such as the introduction of telemedicine-specific CPT codes in 2025—impact reporting practices.
Key considerations
To navigate the use of CPT codes for digitally enabled care, keep the following key considerations in mind:
- Different payers may have varying approaches to recognizing and reimbursing for digital medicine services. In addition to this handbook’s guidance, confirm with payers before billing if there are questions.
- Ensure accurate reporting by using the correct modifiers and Place of Service (POS) codes for a specific patient encounter, to indicate whether a service was provided via telehealth or in-person.
- While AMA has introduced new telemedicine codes, CMS has not initially adopted all of them for 2025. Providers billing Medicare must use in-person E/M codes with the appropriate telehealth modifiers.
For more detailed guidance, refer to the clinical scenario sections in this handbook, which outline appropriate CPT coding for 14 common digitally enabled care encounters.
