Care of the Elderly (COE)
The Care of the Elderly suite of tariffs acknowledges the physician’s expertise required to provide the complex care required for this patient population. The tariffs are eligible for Physicians Holding a Certificate in Care of the Elderly, or physicians approved by the provincial CMO or designate.
If you believe you are eligible, please see billing article Training or Experience Required to Claim Certain Tariffs.
8617
Geriatric Consultation
$160.21
Rules of Application 7 – 10 apply.
8656
Interpretation of comprehensive cognitive assessment results and reporting to referring physician
$104.05
Minimum half hour of physician time. May be claimed in addition to a visit tariff.
8657
Care of the Elderly (COE) Geriatric Specialty Support, per fifteen (15) minutes or major portion thereof
$36.88
- The Care of the Elderly physician must document the service, including the time when the advice was requested, and the time the call was made.
- A maximum of seventy-five (75) minutes are claimable per patient per week.
- Tariffs 8000 and 8001 may not be claimed for the same patient during the same day as tariff 8657.
Must be initiated by an allied health professional or another physician requesting advice regarding a complex or comorbid geriatric condition, which is provided by the COE physician on a priority basis within twelve (12) hours by telephone for a patient under geriatric care.
Maximum of thirty (30) minutes.
8658
Extended Care of the Elderly (COE) Consultation—(including requests by Geriatric Program Assessment Team GPAT)
$271.09
Minimum of forty-five (45) minutes of patient/physician contact time.
Patient/physician contact time must be documented with start and stop times on the patient’s record. Patient/physician contact time is defined as time the physician spends directly in the presence of the patient for the purposes of examination, discussion and/or explanation.
It does not include time spent reviewing records or tests, or arranging for further services or communication with others, either in writing or by telephone. Time spent performing procedures for which another tariff is claimable may not be counted towards contact time for the purposes of an extended visit.
Rules of Application 7 – 10 apply.
Billing notes:
- Minimum time requirements is based on direct physician-patient contact time.
- Procedures where other billing codes are utilized do not count toward patient contact time.
- Stop and start times must be recorded.
- Communication tariff requires time advice was requested, and time call was made.