Place of Service Codes
Place of Service Codes is a two digit code and will be used on CMS or HCFA 1500 claim form (Box# 24B) to indicate where health care services are rendered. It means it’s a place where health care provider, provides the health care services to the patient and this should be indicated on professional claim form on the box number 24b while submitting the claims to insurance companies.
It is very important that the health care claims should be submitted with the correct place of service codes or else the claims will be denied as incorrect place of service codes from the insurance companies or it can result with the wrong fee amount when billing the claims to insurance companies.
Place of Service codes – POS lists with description for professional claims in medical billing.
| Place of Service Codes List | Place of Service Codes - POS Name | Place of Service Codes - POS Description |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Pharmacy | A location where drugs, medications and other medically related items are dispensed. Effective: 10/01/2003 |
| 02 | Telehealth | Telehealth is a location, where mode to deliver or provide health services or health related services using a telecommunication technologies for enhancing patient’s health care. Effective: 01/01/2017 |
| 03 | School | A Facility which provides health care services and whose primary purpose is education. Effective: 01/01/2003 |
| 04 | Homeless Shelter | Homeless Shelter are a type of homeless service agency or location, which provides temporary housing to homeless individuals and families. Effective: 01/01/2003 |
| 05 | Indian Health Service Free Standing Facility | Indian Health Service is an operating division or facility or location, which provides health care services to American Indian and Alaska Natives on free standing facility(who do not require hospitalization). Effective; 01/01/2003 |
| 06 | Indian Health Service Provider-based Facility | Indian Health Service is an operating division or facility or location, which provides health care services to American Indian and Alaska Natives admitted as Inpatients or Outpatients. Effective: 01/01/2003 |
| 07 | Tribal 638 Free-standing Facility | A facility or location, which provides health care services includes diagnostic, rehabilitation services, therapeutic surgical and non-surgical to tribal members who do not require hospitalization under 638 agreements. It is owned and operated by a federally recognized American Indian or Alaska Native Tribe. Effective: 01/01/2003 |
| 08 | Tribal 638 Provider-based Facility | A facility or location, which provides health care services includes diagnostic, rehabilitation services, therapeutic surgical and non-surgical to tribal members who admitted as inpatients or out patients Tribe under 638 agreements. It is owned and operated by a federally recognized American Indian or Alaska Native Tribe. Effective: 01/01/2003 |
| 09 | Prison/Correctional Facility | A correctional facility can pertain to prisons, jail, reformatory, work farm or other centers that serve as a place for incarceration maintained by Federal . Its primary objective is to confine, or at least rehabilitation of adult or juvenile criminal offenders. Effective: 07/01/2006 |
| 10 | Unassigned | N/A |
| POS 11 | Office | Place of Service code 11 is a 2 digit code (11) used on professional claims (HCFA 1500 Form) on block# 24B to specify an office visit were performed or rendered to patient. POS 11- Office visit: It is the non-facility, where Healthcare provider routinely provides the health examinations, diagnosis the illness or injury and provides treatment on an ambulatory basis. Place of Service 11 is the place other than a hospital, MTF-Military Treatment Facility, SNF –Skilled Nursing Facility, State or Local Public health clinic, Community Health Center or ICF –Intermediate Care Facility. |
| 12 | Home | Location other than a facility or hospital, where the patient receives health care services in a private residence. |
| 13 | Assisted Living Facility | Assisted Living Facility is limited care that is designed for senior citizens who need 24/7 assistance with daily activities(such as Medications, bathing, dressing, grooming, meal preparation or other services ) but do not require the intensive medical and nursing care provided in nursing homes. Effective: 10/01/2003 |
| 14 | Group Home * | Home or location where people live together in a group to receives care or supervision and other services such as social and/or behavioral services, custodial service and minimal services(example: Medication Administration). Effective: 10/01/2003 |
| 15 | Mobile Unit | A unit equipped to provide services and that moves from place to place. Services include Preventive, diagnostic, screening, and treatment). Effective: 01/01/2003 |
| 16 | Temporary Lodging | A place such as a hotel, camp ground, hostel, cruise ship or resort where the patient receives care, and which is not identified by any other place of service code. Effective: 01/01/2008 |
| 17 | Walk-in Retail Health Clinic | Retail health clinic is a category of walk in clinic and not described by any other place of service code located in retail stores and pharmacies that treats uncomplicated minor illness, provide primary care service and preventative health care services. Effective: 05/01/2010 |
| 18 | Place of Employment- Worksite | A location or worksite, where the patient is employed and where a health care professional provides rehabilitative or therapeutic services or on-going services to the individual. Effective 05/01/2003 |
| POS 19 | Off Campus-Outpatient Hospital | Place of Service code 19 is a Portion of an off-campus hospital provider based department which provides diagnostic, therapeutic surgical and nonsurgical, and rehabilitation services to patient who are sick or injured and do not require hospitalization. Effective: 01/01/2016 |
| POS 20 | Urgent Care Facility | Place of Service code 20 is a Location whose primarily purpose is to treat injuries or illness for unscheduled and which requires immediate care (Ambulatory patients seeking immediate medical attention). Place of Service 20 i.e. Urgent Care Facility is distinct from a hospital emergency room, office or a clinic. Effective: 01/01/2003 |
| POS 21 | Inpatient Hospital | Place of Service code 21 is a 2 digit code (21) used on professional claims (HCFA 1500 Form) on block# 24B to specify an Inpatient Hospital were rendered. POS 21- Inpatient Hospital: Place of Service 21 is Facility or location which provides health care services to patients admitted for varieties of medical conditions. Health care services are provided under or by the supervision of physician’s and include other than psychiatric, such as therapeutic-surgical and non-surgical, diagnostic and rehabilitation services. |
| POS 22 | On Campus-Outpatient Hospital | Place of Service code 22 is a 2 digit code (22) used on HCFA 1500 Form on block# 24B to specify an On Campus-Outpatient Hospital were rendered. POS 21- On Campus-Outpatient Hospital: Place of Service 22 is a portion of hospital’s main campus which provides health care services to patient who is sick or injured and do not require hospitalization. Effective: 01/01/2016 |
| POS 23 | Emergency Room Hospital | A part of a hospital where emergency health care services are performed. |
| POS 24 | Ambulatory Surgical Center | Place of Service code 24 is a healthcare facility, where surgical services performed and do not require an overnight hospital stay. In other way we can define Ambulatory Surgical Center as freestanding facility other than a physician office, where surgeries are performed in an ambulatory basis. |
| 25 | Birthing Center | A medical facility or place, other than a hospital’s maternity facilities or physician office. Birthing Center provides a family centered care in midwifery and wellness model for healthy women before, during and after normal pregnancy, labor, birth, and immediate care of new born infants. |
| 26 | Military Treatment Facility | A location or place includes military health care, hospitals and clinics, and those facilities under contract with the Government to provide health care services for members of the uniformed services. |
| 27-30 | Unassigned | N/A |
| 31 | Skilled Nursing Facility | A facility which primarily provides nursing care by registered professional nurses to the patient. Services includes speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, medications, supplies, equipment and other services but does not provide the level of treatment available in hospital. |
| 32 | Nursing Facility | A facility which primarily provides skilled nursing care or treatment to residents. |
| 33 | Custodial Care Facility | A facility which primarily provides non-medical care or personal assistance services, room, board to individual on a long term basis. |
| 34 | Hospice | A facility other than a patient’s home, in which supportive and palliative care provided for terminally ill patients. |
| 35-40 | Unassigned | N/A |
| 41 | Ambulance - Land | A Land Ambulance is a vehicle equipped with life-support equipment, and are usually crewed by staff and used for transporting the people who are sick or injured. |
| 42 | Ambulance – Air or Water | An air or water vehicle with special equipment and staffed for life saving and transporting the people who are sick or injured. |
| 43-48 | Unassigned | N/A |
| 49 | Independent Clinic | A location, not part of a hospital and not described by any other POS code. Independent Clinic primarily focused to provide preventive, diagnostic, therapeutic, rehabilitative, or palliative services to outpatients only. Effective: 10/01/2003 |
| 50 | Federally Qualified Health Center | Federally Qualified Health Center are community-based organizations that provide comprehensive primary and preventive care services in underserved areas and populations. |
| 51 | Inpatient Psychiatric Facility | A facility or place, which provides inpatient psychiatric treatment or services for mental illness on a 24-hour basis, under or by the supervision of a physician. |
| 52 | Psychiatric Facility-Partial Hospitalization | A facility that provides outpatient psychiatric services in a structured therapeutic program for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. This treatment is more intense than care you get in a doctor’s or therapist’s office and provided during the day and doesn’t require an overnight stay. |
| 53 | Community Mental Health Center | A facility that provides the comprehensive mental health services, offering inpatient, outpatient, home-based, school-based Counseling, partial Hospitalization/Day Treatment, counseling to individuals/families/Group, Mental Health Assessment ,primary care and Psychological and education services. |
| 54 | Intermediate Care Facility/ Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities | A facility or place primarily provides health related services and care to individuals above the level of custodial care, but does not provide the level of care or treatment available in a Skilled Nursing Facility or Hospital. |
| 55 | Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Facility | A facility which provides treatment in a residential settings for substance abuse. Residential Substance Abuse Treatment facility includes laboratory testing, individual or group therapy and counseling, psychological testing, family counseling, drugs and supplies, and room and board. |
| 56 | Psychiatric Residential Treatment Center | Psychiatric residential treatment center is a non-hospital facility or distinct part of a facility which provides structured therapeutic program, offering intensive inpatient psychiatric services to people who have various mental illnesses and professionally staffed group living and learning environment. |
| 57 | Non-residential Substance Abuse Treatment Facility | A Facility which provides treatment for substance abuse to patients on an ambulatory basis. Non Residential Substance Abuse Treatment facility includes psychological testing, individual or group therapy and counseling, laboratory testing, family counseling, drugs and supplies. Effective: 10/01/2003 |
| 58-59 | Unassigned | N/A |
| 60 | Mass Immunization Center | A location where providers administer pneumococcal pneumonia and influenza virus vaccination and submit these services as electronic media claims, paper claims, or using the roster billing method. This generally takes place in a mass immunization setting, such as a public health center, pharmacy, or mall but may include a physician's office setting. |
| 61 | Comprehensive Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility | A facility that provides comprehensive inpatient’s rehabilitation services under the supervision of physician with physical disabilities. Comprehensive Inpatient rehabilitation facility services include physical therapy, speech pathology services, psychological or social services, occupational therapy, and prosthetic and orthotics services. |
| 62 | Comprehensive Outpatient Rehabilitation Facility | A facility that provides comprehensive outpatient’s rehabilitation services under the supervision of physician with physical disabilities. Comprehensive Outpatient rehabilitation facility services include physical therapy, speech pathology services, and occupational therapy. |
| 63-64 | Unassigned | N/A |
| 65 | End-Stage Renal Disease Treatment Facility | A facility or unit other than a hospital, which provides provides dialysis treatment or dialysis training to patients with end stage renal disease(ESRD) on an ambulatory or home care basis. |
| 66-70 | Unassigned | N/A |
| 71 | Public Health Clinic | A clinic or place, which primarily provides ambulatory primary medical care services under the general direction of a physician and it is maintained by either State or local health departments. |
| 72 | Rural Health Clinic | A certified clinic or place located in rural, medically underserved area which primarily provides ambulatory primary medical care under the general direction of a physician. |
| 73-80 | Unassigned | N/A |
| 81 | Independent Laboratory | Independent Laboratory is a facility maintained for the purpose to perform diagnostic laboratory tests and/or clinical tests that is independent of a hospital or a physician’s office. |
| 82-98 | Unassigned | N/A |
| 99 | Other Place of Service | Other place of service not identified above. |
Place of service codes plays a very important role, while submitting the claims to the insurance companies. To avoid the denials from insurance company make sure to submit the claims with the correct place of service codes while billing the claims to the insurance companies.