Updated: August 2026
What Is the Difference Between POS 02 and POS 10?
POS 10 is the place of service code for telehealth provided in the patient’s home. POS 02 is the code for telehealth provided anywhere other than the patient’s home. The distinction drives payment: Medicare pays POS 10 claims at the non-facility rate — the same rate as an in-office visit — while POS 02 pays at the lower facility rate. Billing the wrong one doesn’t just risk a denial; it can mean a clean claim that quietly pays 10–25% less than it should, roughly $15 to $50 per visit on common E/M codes.
What Is POS 10?
POS 10 (“Telehealth Provided in Patient’s Home”) applies when the patient receives the telehealth service in their home — a permanent or temporary residence. CMS created the code effective January 1, 2022, with billing effective April 1, 2022, to separate home-based telehealth from the older facility-based model. Because there is no originating-site facility absorbing overhead when the patient is at home, Medicare assigns POS 10 the non-facility payment rate.
What Is POS 02?
POS 02 (“Telehealth Provided Other Than in Patient’s Home”) applies when the patient is anywhere else during the visit — a clinic, a skilled nursing facility, a school, a workplace. It reflects the original telehealth model, where the patient traveled to an originating site and that facility carried the overhead, so POS 02 pays at the facility rate.
POS Codes vs Telehealth Modifiers
The POS code tells the payer where the patient was. The modifier tells the payer how the service was delivered — and it does not change the payment rate. Modifier 95 indicates a synchronous audio-video visit. Modifier 93 indicates audio-only. Modifier GT is a legacy telehealth modifier some commercial payers still use. For brief virtual check-ins, CPT 98016 replaced G2012. The payment rate is set by the POS code alone, so a correct modifier cannot rescue a wrong place of service.
Medicare Telehealth Rules in 2026
The Medicare telehealth flexibilities — including the patient’s home as an eligible originating site nationwide, no geographic restrictions, and audio-only visits where appropriate — were extended through December 31, 2027 under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026. Behavioral and mental health telehealth coverage is permanent. Commercial payers and state Medicaid programs each maintain their own telehealth rules, so confirm POS, modifier, and audio-only policies for your top payers rather than assuming Medicare’s rules apply everywhere.
Documentation Tips to Avoid Telehealth Denials
Record the patient’s location in the note for every telehealth encounter — a simple statement like “patient located at home during this telehealth visit” supports POS 10, and naming the non-home setting supports POS 02. Keep the location consistent across scheduling, intake, and the clinical note, and document the modality (video or audio-only) so the modifier matches the record. Finally, watch your POS-related denials: a pattern of POS 10 claims that doesn’t match documented locations is an audit flag, and a pattern of POS 02 on home visits is money left on the table.
Bill Telehealth Visits Correctly the First Time
DocVilla’s cloud-based EHR puts telehealth and billing in one system — visits happen in DocVilla’s integrated telemedicine, and CPT and ICD-10 codes flow from the note into the superbill and the claim without re-entry. Real-time eligibility checks, electronic claim filing, and ERA/EOB posting are built into DocVilla’s medical billing and RCM software, helping practices bill telehealth visits correctly the first time and reduce denials. To see how DocVilla can support your telehealth documentation and billing, schedule a free demo today.
Read more about it on the CMS website