Medicaid Washington
WATransition starts January 1, 2027
Effective January 1, 2027, HCA will remove deleted global obstetrics codes from Apple Health billing guides and fee schedules; providers will use new and revised CPT codes aligned with updated Apple Health clinical policy. Beginning January 1, 2027, bill the first prenatal visit with the appropriate E/M code and CPT 0500F. The E/M code is reimbursable; 0500F is billed at $0.01 and pays zero.
- Published
- 2026-05
- Transition starts
- January 1, 2027
- Billing starts
- January 1, 2027
- Evidence checked
- 2026-08-28
Billing notes and scope
- Codes affected
- Not published
- Modifiers
- Not published
- Global allowed through
- Not published
- Applies by
- Not published
- Product
- Not published
- Source excerpt
- Not published
Scope: Washington Apple Health (Medicaid) pregnancy-related professional/clinical services in hospital and out-of-hospital settings. This is direct state-program guidance, not evidence of named managed-care plan adoption or requirements for commercial, Medicare, dental or vision products.
Transition: HCA anticipates a clean transition between December 31, 2026 and January 1, 2027, with no period accepting both global and itemized coding. HCA does not plan September 2026 implementation under ACOG's recommendation or prorated payments for global OB codes. Instructions for pregnancy care spanning 2026 and 2027 remain forthcoming. Current modifier guidance remains effective through December 31, 2026; updated modifier and encounter-billing instructions will follow.
Global billing: Current global OB coding is to end with the anticipated December 31, 2026–January 1, 2027 transition. HCA will remove deleted global OB codes effective January 1, 2027; cross-year billing instructions remain pending.
Reimbursement rates will be available by January 1, 2027; amounts remain undetermined pending CMS values. The changes affect professional services, not birth center facility-fee or home-birth-kit policy and reimbursement, or birth doula coverage and billing. A replacement birth center facility-fee code will be identified separately. The FAQ does not establish whether additional named-plan guidance exists.