The Great American Smokeout is Thursday 11/16/2023 - Let's Talk About Tobacco Counseling
Do you treat Medicare beneficiaries/patients who are nicotine dependent?
Did you know Medicare has a preventive service for tobacco cessation that allows you to perform and bill Medicare for the service?
The Great American Smokeout on 11/16/2023 may be the time to learn more about these services and how they can benefit your patient and You!
Tobacco counseling is a Medicare covered preventative service. CMS’ MLN Educational Tool: Medicare Preventive Services, is a toolkit for providers looking for information on Counseling to Prevent Tobacco Use. The NGS Tobacco Cessation web page is also home to a comprehensive list of job aids to assist providers with questions and concerns.
For more than 40 years, the American Cancer Society has hosted the Great American Smokeout on the third Thursday of November. This yearly event is a call for action, not just for one day, but year-round. This event gives health care providers an opportunity to encourage their nicotine dependent patients to use the date to make a plan to quit.
Each year, nearly half a million Americans die prematurely of smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke. Another 16 million live with a serious illness caused by smoking. Each year, the United States spends more than $225 billion on medical care to treat smoking-related disease in adults.
Providers can visit the American Cancer Society: Great American Smokeout Event Tools and Resources for more information and to download free resources for use in workplaces, health systems, and other places in your community. These resources include posters, flyers, print ads, table signs and quit cards.
In addition, Medicare overs a wide array of preventive services many with little or no cost to the Medicare beneficiaries - your patients. Preventive services include exams, shots, lab tests, and screenings. They also include programs for health monitoring, and counseling and education to help you take care of your patient’s health. To learn more, view CMS’ MLN Educational Tool: Medicare Preventive Services.
Posted 11/13/2023