< Billing codes

Billing code

W002A — First 4 visits/month

Routine chronic care hospital visit

Bill for the first 4 routine visits per patient per month to a chronic care or convalescent hospital patient.

Watch for: After 4 visits in the month, switch to W001; bill acute intercurrent illness visits as W121.

Code

W002A

Description

First 4 visits/month

FHO+ basket

Not in the FHO+ base rate basket (Schedule 2 or 2B).

Effective date

Apr 1, 2026

Termination date

No end date

Explanation

Updated October 26, 2026

Routine visit to a chronic care or convalescent hospital patient: the first 4 subsequent visits per patient per month.

What it covers

A subsequent visit is any routine assessment after the patient's admission to a long-term care institution (GP49). W002 covers the first 4 subsequent visits per patient per month for a patient in a chronic care or convalescent hospital (A19).

W-prefix codes apply to patients in chronic care or convalescent hospitals, nursing homes, homes for the aged and designated chronic or convalescent beds, but not designated palliative care beds (GP49).

Billing rules

• Bill the first 4 subsequent visits per patient per month as W002; further visits are W001, maximum 4 per patient per month (A19).
• Visits for an acute intercurrent illness that don't need a special visit are billed as W121, whatever the monthly count (GP49).
• If you are already in the institution and see your own patient, use the W-prefix codes; seeing another physician's patient on an emergency basis uses the A-prefix General Listings (GP49).
• Special visit premiums are not payable for elective services in LTC, including routine patients seen on rounds after a non-elective call (GP66).
• FHO: a Schedule 2A code for enrolled LTC patients (Agreement p.86) and counts toward the long-term care special payment (Agreement p.67 §8.10).

Often billed with

• E079 smoking cessation initial discussion (A56).

Related codes: W001, W121, W882, W003, W008

Source: Schedule of Benefits (July 1, 2026), Consultations and Visits, Family Practice & Practice in General (00), page A19; rules GP49.

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