NBHWC, NCHEC and UCSD: Collaborative Project to Advance Health & Wellness Coaching in Healthcare

If you would like to learn more about the approval of the Category III Codes, please review this press release from October 2019.

The National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC), The National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC), and the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) announce a collaborative project to advance health & wellness coaching in healthcare.

The collaborative project focuses on collecting, tracking and housing utilization data (and reimbursement data where possible) from health & wellness coaches and health educators who are currently providing health & wellness coaching to patients in a healthcare setting. This code utilization data will support the application to the American Medical Association (AMA) for the approval of health & well-being coaching services as Category I CPT Codes, fully supported for reimbursement.

“We recognize the value of health and wellness coaching and are excited to collaborate with NBHWC and NCHEC on this project in support of widespread reimbursement for these clinical services,” said Jessica Matthews, Director of Integrative Health Coaching for UC San Diego Centers for Integrative Health.

As of January 2020, three Category III CPT Codes for health and well-being coaching services are approved by AMA. Category III codes are designed for data collection, assessment, and in some instances, payment of new or emerging services and procedures on the path to becoming Category I codes.

The Category III Health and Well-Being Coaching Codes include:

• 0591T Health and Well-Being Coaching face-to-face; individual, initial assessment
• 0592T individual, follow-up session, at least 30 minutes
• 0593T group (two or more individuals), at least 30 minutes

“We anticipate that it will take 10 to 12 months to collect the data needed to apply for Category I Codes, and we are looking forward to working with the UC San Diego team and health & wellness coaches from medical settings throughout the country,” said Leigh-Ann Webster, Executive Director for the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching, a controlled affiliate of the National Board of Medical Examiners.

Because data collection is an integral part of the CPT code application process, National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coaches and Certified Health Education Specialists who work in healthcare settings play a vital role in getting to Category I CPT Code status.

“It is our hope that the implementation of the Category III CPT codes will raise awareness and create more opportunities for CHES®, MCHES® and NBC-HWC and their roles within the healthcare setting,” said Linda Lysoby, NCHEC Executive Director.

If you would like to learn more about the CPT code process, please review the information HERE.

For additional information please email Leigh-Ann Webster at info@nbhwc.org or Melissa Opp at mopp@nchec.org.