42 CFR 405.2463 – What constitutes a visit
(a) Visit—General. (1) For RHCs, a visit is either of the following:
(i) Face-to-face encounter (or, for mental health disorders only, an encounter that meets the requirements under paragraph (b)(3) of this section) between an RHC patient and one of the following:
(A) Physician.
(B) Physician assistant.
(C) Nurse practitioner.
(D) Certified nurse midwife.
(E) Visiting registered professional or licensed practical nurse.
(G) Clinical psychologist.
(H) Clinical social worker.
(I) Marriage and family therapist.
(J) Mental health counselor.
(ii) Qualified transitional care management service.
(2) For FQHCs, a visit is either of the following:
(i) A visit as described in paragraph (a)(1)(i) or (ii) of this section.
(ii) A face-to-face encounter between a patient and either of the following:
(A) A qualified provider of medical nutrition therapy services as defined in part 410, subpart G, of this chapter.
(B) A qualified provider of outpatient diabetes self-management training services as defined in part 410, subpart H, of this chapter.
(b) Visit—Medical. (1) A medical visit is a face-to-face encounter between a RHC or FQHC patient and one of the following:
(i) Physician.
(ii) Physician assistant.
(iii) Nurse practitioner.
(iv) Certified nurse midwife.
(v) Visiting registered professional or licensed practical nurse.
(2) A medical visit for a FQHC patient may be either of the following:
(i) Medical nutrition therapy visit.
(ii) Diabetes outpatient self-management training visit.
(3) Visit-Mental health. A mental health visit is a face-to-face encounter or an encounter furnished using interactive, real-time, audio and video telecommunications technology or audio-only interactions in cases where the patient is not capable of, or does not consent to, the use of video technology for the purposes of diagnosis, evaluation or treatment of a mental health disorder, including an in-person mental health service, beginning January 1, 2025, furnished within 6 months prior to the furnishing of the telecommunications service and that an in-person mental health service (without the use of telecommunications technology) must be provided at least every 12 months while the beneficiary is receiving services furnished via telecommunications technology for diagnosis, evaluation, or treatment of mental health disorders, unless, for a particular 12-month period, the physician or practitioner and patient agree that the risks and burdens outweigh the benefits associated with furnishing the in-person item or service, and the practitioner documents the reasons for this decision in the patient’s medical record, between an RHC or FQHC patient and one of the following:
(i) Clinical psychologist.
(ii) Clinical social worker.
(iii) Marriage and family therapist.
(iv) Mental health counselor.
(v) Other RHC or FQHC practitioner, in accordance with paragraph (b)(1) of this section, for mental health services.
(c) Visit—Multiple. (1) For RHCs and FQHCs that are authorized to bill under the reasonable cost system, encounters with more than one health professional and multiple encounters with the same health professional that take place on the same day and at a single location constitute a single visit, except when the patient—
(i) Suffers an illness or injury subsequent to the first visit that requires additional diagnosis or treatment on the same day;
(ii) Has a medical visit and a mental health visit or intensive outpatient services on the same day; or
(iii) Has an initial preventive physical exam visit and a separate medical, mental health, or intensive outpatient services visit on the same day.
(2) For RHCs and FQHCs that are authorized to bill under the reasonable cost system, Medicare pays RHCs and FQHCs for more than 1 visit per day when the conditions in paragraph (c)(1) of this section are met.
(3) For FQHCs that are authorized to bill under the reasonable cost system, Medicare pays for more than 1 visit per day when a DSMT or MNT visit is furnished on the same day as a visit described in paragraph (c)(1) of this section are met.
(4) For FQHCs billing under the PPS, and grandfathered tribal FQHCs that are authorized to bill as a FQHC at the outpatient per visit rate for Medicare as set annually by the Indian Health Service—
(i) Suffers an illness or injury subsequent to the first visit that requires additional diagnosis or treatment on the same day; or
(ii) Has a medical visit and a mental health visit or intensive outpatient services on the same day.