95
Audio-video
- Identifies the telehealth service on distant-site lines [5]
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Insight · Urgent care telehealth billing
Urgent care virtual visits: POS 10, S9083 and the 2027 modifier change
The rules on one page, from the CMS telehealth FAQ of October 8, 2026 and the 2026 UnitedHealthcare and Cigna policies.
Short answer: the patient's location sets the place of service, Medicare pays home telehealth at the non-facility rate, the national payers do not pay S9083 in any setting, and modifiers BB and BC arrive on January 1, 2027.
POS 10 · home
POS 02 · not home
95 video · 93 audio-only
BB / BC · Jan 1, 2027
Edition
Oct 2026
Focus
UC telehealth
Codes
POS 10 · 02 · 20
Payers
Medicare · UHC · Cigna
Effective date
Jan 1, 2027
Horizon
Dec 31, 2027
Place of service for urgent care encounters, one of them paid differently
POS 10 took effect January 1, 2022 (Medicare April 1, 2022); POS 02 covers every other patient location [1]. The decision is the patient's location, not the clinician's.
| POS | CMS name | Use when | Medicare payment note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Urgent Care Facility | The patient is physically at the urgent care | Non-facility professional rate applies |
| 10 | Telehealth Provided in Patient's Home | The patient is in a private residence during the telehealth visit | Paid at the non-facility rate since January 1, 2024 [2] |
| 02 | Telehealth Provided Other than in Patient's Home | The patient is anywhere other than home, such as a workplace | Facility rate logic applies |
Never POS 20 and never S9083 on a virtual claim
Patient locationPlace of serviceCode and modifiers
At home, videoPrivate residence
POS10, non-facility rate [2]
ClaimOffice E/M + 95; + BB or BC from 2027 [5]
At home, audio-onlyPrivate residence
POS10
ClaimOffice E/M + 93; permitted through December 31, 2027 [2]
Elsewhere, not homeWorkplace, other site
POS02, facility rate logic
ClaimOffice E/M + 95; + BB or BC from 2027
At the urgent careWalk-in
POS20, Urgent Care Facility [1]
ClaimItemized E/M, or S9083 only where a regional contract pays the facility global
S9083 has no place on a virtual claimCigna does not reimburse S9083 or S9088 and says S9083 may only be reported by the urgent care facility [3]. UnitedHealthcare says S9083 lacks encounter-level specificity, S9088 is informational, and neither is reimbursed under any commercial or Individual Exchange plan [4]. Where a regional contract pays S9083 at the facility, read its telehealth section before assuming the global reaches a visit from home.
A 2026 and 2027 line, unless Congress acts again
Through December 31, 2027, telehealth anywhere in the United States and audio-only at home. From January 1, 2028, except behavioral health, a medical facility in a rural area [2].
- 1Jan 1, 2024Home telehealth (POS 10) paid at the non-facility rate
- 2Oct 8, 2026FAQ: shutdown-period claims paid as before
- 3Jan 1, 2027Modifiers BB and BC required; no payment implications
- 4Dec 31, 2027Last day of any-location and audio-only-at-home flexibility
- 5Jan 1, 2028Rural, facility-based rules return except behavioral health
How much of the window is left
Medicare home-telehealth window, in months
From the FAQ dates [2]: January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2027 is 48 months; October 27, 2026 is month 34.
Already usedJan 2024 to Oct 2026
34 months71% of the window
Left before the 2028 cliffNov 2026 to Dec 2027
14 months29% of the window
Under BB and BCJan 2027 to Dec 2027
12 months25% of the window
012243648 months
ElapsedRemaining
Four modifiers, two of them new
93
Audio-only
- At home, permitted through December 31, 2027 [2]
BB
From January 1, 2027
- Virtual platform the practitioner contracts with or pays for
- No payment implications [2]
BC
From January 1, 2027
- Telehealth incident to a professional service
- No payment implications [2]
Takeaway
The virtual claim writes itself: office E/M leveled on MDM or time, the payer's telehealth modifier, POS 10 or 02 by patient location, and from 2027 BB or BC where it applies.
Before January 1
Write the claim-build rulePatient location decides POS 10 or 02; S9083 and POS 20 blocked on any virtual visit.
Add BB and BC to the modifier tablePlain-English trigger for each, effective January 1, 2027.
Pull 2026 telehealth lines billed with POS 20 or S9083Correct those inside timely filing.
Read every S9083 contract's telehealth sectionRecord what it says about virtual visits.
Run eligibility as for a walk-inSame 270/271; see eligibility verification. CorePulse runs it as one transaction per patient.
Place it in the operating modelControl six in the 2027 operating manual; a competence test in the build-or-buy math; urgent care billing services and urgent care RCM solution.
Frequently asked questions
Which place of service does an urgent care use for a telehealth visit?
POS 10 when the patient is in a private residence, POS 02 anywhere else. POS 20 describes a visit at the facility and should not appear on a virtual claim. Since January 1, 2024, Medicare pays home telehealth at the non-facility rate.
Can S9083 be billed for a virtual urgent care visit?
No. UnitedHealthcare and Cigna do not reimburse S9083 or S9088 in any setting under their 2026 policies, Medicare treats both as not valid, and Cigna notes S9083 may only be reported by the facility. A virtual visit is an office E/M with the telehealth modifier and POS 10 or 02.
What telehealth modifiers change in 2027?
From January 1, 2027, Medicare requires modifier BB for telehealth through a contracted virtual platform and BC for telehealth incident to a professional service; CMS says neither has payment implications. Modifiers 95 (audio-video) and 93 (audio-only) continue to identify the telehealth service.
How long can Medicare patients take urgent care telehealth from home?
Through December 31, 2027, anywhere in the United States, including audio-only at home. From January 1, 2028, except for behavioral health, beneficiaries will generally need to be in a medical facility in a rural area.
- CMS Place of Service Code Set, POS 02, 10 and 20 (page last modified February 17, 2026)
- CMS Telehealth FAQ, updated October 8, 2026 (posted October 9, 2026)
- Cigna Reimbursement Policy R24, Omnibus Reimbursement Policy, Urgent Care Centers section (last updated June 4, 2026)
- UnitedHealthcare Reimbursement Policy 2026R0108A, Urgent Care Policy, Professional (anniversary review August 1, 2026)
- CMS Transmittal 13776, Change Request 14468 (May 27, 2026): distant site telehealth lines carry modifier 93 or 95
Checked October 25, 2026. Rules change; confirm against the source before relying on them. Figures from the CY2027 Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule are proposed, not final; re-check them against the final rule.
Want your 2026 telehealth lines checked before the modifier change?
Send the telehealth claims and remittances. We return the POS and modifier corrections still inside timely filing and the 2027 claim-build rule written for your system.