The role of health coaching in chronic disease prevention and management is no longer a question of if, it’s a matter of when it will be fully integrated and reimbursed across our healthcare system. With rising rates of lifestyle-related conditions and an overburdened clinical workforce, scalable interventions with proven results, like health coaching, are more critical than ever. At YourCoach, we’ve long advocated for its formal recognition and reimbursement. And now, with recent moves from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the path forward is becoming clearer. Here’s where things stand, why this moment matters and how we’re continuing to move the needle in the ways we can here at YourCoach.
How is health coaching currently viewed by CMS?
For many years, our team at YourCoach has championed the case for making health coaching a reimbursable service, especially in the realm of preventative care. The evidence is robust and compelling – health coaching delivers a proven, sustained impact on health behaviors and resulting outcomes. In 2024, the CMS took a pivotal step forward by provisionally adding three CPT Category III codes (0591T, 0592T, 0593T) for health & wellbeing coaching to the Medicare telehealth services list. At the time, CMS made it clear these codes were temporary and conditional, pending further research before their potential permanent inclusion. While they were released with certain limitations and categorized under “telehealth,” this move nonetheless represented a milestone towards establishing permanent reimbursement pathways for health coaching.
What has the CMS put forward as part of the 2026 Physician Fee Schedule?
This past summer, CMS released their 2026 Payment Policies under the Physician Fee Schedule with a very exciting update. In a major step forward, health coaching is now included under the disease management and prevention section, signaling growing recognition of its role in driving sustainable behavior change, improving outcomes and reducing long-term healthcare costs. In addition, CMS has actively invited input from the public on whether existing codes reflect the full scope of health coaching services; if temporary codes can become permanent ones, making health coaching reimbursable moving forward; and how to capture the broader range of health coaching interventions, including but not limited to motivational interviewing.
How has YourCoach responded to continue moving the needle for health coaching reimbursement?
When we read through the latest CMS proposals, we knew we had to contribute. In addition to sharing some of our proprietary research to assert why health coaching is a proven, impactful tool for behavior change and chronic disease management, we also outlined several key points for consideration:
- The current codes fall short of the time, methods and value health coaches bring to the table, and their temporary nature contributes to uncertainty among providers and recipients, alike. Health coaching more than deserves permanent G-codes under incident-to billing structures to support reimbursement and integration.
- Motivational interviewing is a science-backed and proven technique employed by health coaches. But it’s not reflective of the broad range of evidence-backed methods health coaches use, including cognitive behavioral strategies, positive psychology, and goal-setting frameworks. It’s important we don’t limit coding to focus solely on motivational interviewing.
- Health coaching in person is valuable. But health coaching can be highly effective when done through video, audio and asynchronous chats. Not only that, but it also ensures health coaching and preventative health and chronic disease management support can reach underserved populations who might live in areas with few providers.
Health coaching isn’t a future solution, it’s a present day necessity. The inclusion of health coaching in CMS’s 2026 Physician Fee Schedule, and their subsequent request for comments, marks a meaningful step. It must be followed by permanent reimbursement pathways that reflect scope and value of health coaching. From driving measurable behavior change to improving access through telehealth, health coaches are filling critical gaps in preventative care and chronic disease management. At YourCoach, we’ll continue to champion this change and look forward to seeing health coaching become a permanent feature of the healthcare reimbursement landscape in the U.S.
FAQ:
Q: What is CMS’s current stance on health coaching reimbursement?
A: CMS has taken important steps toward recognizing health coaching as a reimbursable service. In 2024, they introduced temporary CPT Category III codes for health and wellbeing coaching, and in their 2026 proposed Physician Fee Schedule, they included health coaching under the chronic disease management and prevention section, requesting comments from the public.
Q: What’s changing with CMS and health coaching in 2026?
A: CMS recently proposed including health coaching in the 2026 Physician Fee Schedule under the Chronic Disease Management and Prevention section, which is a major step toward formal recognition. While current health coaching codes (0591T–0593T) are still temporary, CMS is actively seeking feedback on how to make these services permanently reimbursable, and how to better reflect the full scope of what coaches deliver.
Q: How is YourCoach contributing to CMS’s policy direction on coaching reimbursement?
A: YourCoach is actively engaging in the CMS comment process, submitting proprietary research and real-world outcomes to demonstrate the impact of health coaching on preventative care and chronic disease management.. We’re advocating for permanent G-codes under incident-to billing, the recognition of health coaching’s full toolkit (not just motivational interviewing), and expanded access through telehealth.