New ‘Visual Combo’ Code Brings Reimbursement Risks

New ‘Visual Combo’ Code Brings Reimbursement Risks

Effective January 1, 2026, the Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services mandated a critical coding change for urgent care: Visually read COVID-19/flu combination tests must now be billed under the single code CPT 87812. This replaces the previous standard of unbundling the tests into 2 separate codes (CPT 87811 and CPT 87804) and was intended to be revenue-neutral. However, a national analysis of January 2026 data by Urgent Care Consultants exclusively for JUCM reveals a …

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Are Urgent Care Providers Liable if They Don’t Test Patients for COVID?

Are Urgent Care Providers Liable if They Don’t Test Patients for COVID?

Download the PDF: Are Urgent Care Providers Liable if They Don’t Test Patients for COVID? Urgent message: As the severity of newer strains of SARS-CoV-2 has decreased, many patients and providers have become less vigilant about COVID-19.  Yet COVID-19 remains among the top 10 causes of death in the U.S. Failure to diagnose and, if eligible, treat patients with COVID-19 may result in significant harm. Professional liability is less likely, however, given the current governmental …

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