POS 10 vs POS 02 for Telehealth: Which Place of Service Should Therapists Use?

Choosing between pos 10 vs pos 02 telehealth is one of the small claim decisions that causes big headaches. POS stands for place of service, the two-digit code that tells a payer where care happened. This guide gives therapists and psychiatrists a simple decision rule by payer type. For the code-by-code reference, see our place of service codes guide.

What place of service codes are

A place of service (POS) code is a two-digit number on a claim that tells the payer where the patient received care. The payer uses it to decide how to price the service and which rules apply. The wrong code can mean a lower payment or a denial, even when everything else on the claim is right.

For a wider look at in-person codes, see our guide to in-home and telehealth POS codes. This post stays on one question: how to pick between pos 10 vs pos 02 telehealth.

POS 10 and POS 02 defined

POS 10 and POS 02 are both telehealth codes, and the only difference is where the patient sits. In the CMS Place of Service Code Set, POS 10 means telehealth with the patient in their home. POS 02 means telehealth with the patient somewhere other than home.

CMS lists POS 10 as effective January 1, 2022, and available to Medicare April 1, 2022. In both cases the location that matters is the patient’s, not yours.

• POS 10: patient is at home during the video or audio visit.
• POS 02: patient is at work, in a car, at a friend’s place, or anywhere else that is not their home.

Medicare rules for POS 10 vs POS 02 telehealth

For Medicare, the patient’s location decides the code, and CMS has said home telehealth is paid at the non-facility rate. The CMS Medicare Learning Network booklet says Medicare pays for telehealth to patients in their homes at the non-facility Physician Fee Schedule rate. The CMS Telehealth FAQ says the same, and adds that this applies to claims starting January 1, 2024.

The same FAQ says Medicare telehealth flexibilities run through December 31, 2027. After that, patients generally must be at a medical facility in a rural area, with exceptions that include behavioral health. Our Medicare telehealth flexibilities guide for therapists covers what that means for your schedule. For site questions, see the telehealth originating site rules.

Your Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) is the final word on how it processes these claims. CMS directs billing questions about the code set to the MAC.

Private payer rules

Private payers set their own place of service policies, so pos 10 vs pos 02 telehealth rules do not all treat POS 10 and POS 02 the same way. Some want POS 10 for home visits, some want the code you would use for an in-person visit plus a modifier, and some have changed their rules over time. We do not assume one payer’s rule applies to another.

Check the provider manual or bulletin for each plan. Our state telehealth parity law guide explains why state law and plan rules can differ, and the telehealth prior authorization rules page covers a related trap.

Medicaid rules

For pos 10 vs pos 02 telehealth, Medicaid place of service rules are set state by state, and managed care plans inside a state can add their own. The CMS code set page says Medicaid, Medicare and private insurers set their own reimbursement policies for these codes. That means a rule you read for one state does not carry over to another.

Look up your state Medicaid program and each Medicaid managed care plan you bill. Our state billing guides are a good place to start.

Modifiers: 95, GT and others

A modifier is a two-character add-on that gives the payer more detail about a service. For telehealth, modifiers 95 and GT are the ones people ask about most. Whether a payer wants one, either one, or none depends on the payer.

The CMS booklet we reviewed mentions modifier 95 only for outpatient therapy billed by institutions, so do not read it as a rule for your office claims. Do not copy a modifier habit from one payer to another. Ask each plan, then write it down.

Which POS code should I use for telehealth from home?

Use POS 10 when the patient is in their home and the payer accepts it, and POS 02 when the patient is anywhere else. Then confirm the payer’s own instruction, because a plan can ask for something different. When a payer’s rule and the CMS code set disagree, the payer’s written rule decides how that claim is paid.

What to do Monday morning on pos 10 vs pos 02 telehealth

1. List your top payers by claim volume, including Medicare, Medicaid and each private plan.
2. For each one, find the written telehealth place of service and modifier instruction. Save the link and the date you read it.
3. Add a field to your visit note for where the patient was during the session.
4. Set your billing system so that POS follows that field, not a default.
5. Review denied telehealth claims, and fix and resend them using our corrected claims guide.

Psychiatrists and prescribers should use the same checklist for their visit codes, and confirm with each payer how the plan wants evaluation and management claims coded.

The short version: pos 10 vs pos 02 telehealth

For pos 10 vs pos 02 telehealth, pick the code by where the patient is: home is POS 10, anywhere else is POS 02. Then check each payer’s written rule, because Medicare, Medicaid and private plans set their own policies. Keep a short payer cheat sheet and update it when a bulletin comes out.

How MCM South helps

MCM South Medical Billing Service bills for psychotherapists and psychiatrists, and place of service questions are part of that daily work. We help practices set up telehealth claims the way each payer asks, and we work denials when a code does not match. See our behavioral health billing services.

Where MCM South works

MCM South serves practices in ten currently served states: Georgia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Texas, Florida, New York, Colorado, Tennessee, North Carolina and Illinois. Find payer contacts on our insurance companies contact page. This post is operational guidance, not legal or clinical advice.

Sources checked (November 2, 2026)

• CMS Place of Service Code Set
• CMS Telehealth FAQ (updated October 2026)
• CMS MLN Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring booklet (MLN901705, December 2025)

Frequently asked questions