Summary & Overview
CPT 99447: Remote Interprofessional Consult, 11–20 Minutes
CPT code 99447 represents a time-based interprofessional consultation performed by a consulting physician or other qualified healthcare professional lasting 11–20 minutes via telephone, internet, or electronic health record, with a verbal and written report provided to the requesting clinician. This code matters nationally as virtual interprofessional consultations expand access to specialist input without face-to-face visits, supporting care coordination, triage, and timely clinical decision-making across settings. Key payers included in the analysis are Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare.
Readers will learn the clinical scope and operational context of 99447, where it fits within remote consultation services, and common payer considerations. The publication summarizes national benchmarks and coverage themes, highlights coding and documentation elements implicit in the service description, and outlines typical clinical scenarios where an 11–20 minute remote consult is applicable. Data not available in the input is noted where applicable.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 99447 describes a consultation by a consulting physician or other qualified healthcare professional conducted remotely. The service covers a consult lasting 11 to 20 minutes delivered via telephone, internet, or electronic health record (EHR) communication, with the consultant providing both a verbal and written report to the requesting physician or qualified healthcare professional.
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Service type: Remote interprofessional consultation (time-based)
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Typical site of service: Virtual or non-face-to-face setting (telephone, telehealth platforms, or EHR messaging)
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A consulting cardiologist receives an electronic consult request from a primary care physician regarding an adult patient with new-onset palpitations and an abnormal ambulatory monitor finding. The consultant reviews the patient’s chart and recent EHR documentation, examines available diagnostic data (ECG strips, ambulatory monitor report, recent labs), and conducts an 18-minute synchronous telephone consultation with the requesting physician via secure telephone. The consultant documents the history, assessment, and recommendations in the EHR and provides both a verbal summary to the requesting clinician and a written consult note. The service is billed as a telephonic/electronic consult for an interprofessional communication when the consultant’s total consult time with chart review and discussion falls between 11 and 20 minutes, and the primary care clinician incorporates the consultant’s recommendations into the patient’s care plan. Typical site of service: remote (telehealth/phone/EHR) with the consultant located in an outpatient clinic or hospital office and the requesting provider in an ambulatory primary care setting.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
11 | Primary care provider | Not used as modifier for consult code; not typically appended to 99447 but listed among allowed modifiers in some payer guides when the consultant is the primary provider in a continuous care episode |