CommercialCoverageMedium impact
Smoking Cessation Counseling
Healthfirst·Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, General Practice +2 more·Provider Update
Effective date
Nov 1, 2020
We identified it
Jun 20, 2026
Summary
Effective November 1, 2020, Healthfirst removed the 8-session annual limit on smoking cessation counseling and now covers unlimited sessions when medically necessary. The billing team can now submit claims for smoking cessation counseling without session count restrictions for Healthfirst members.
Action Required
Immediately: Update billing software to remove 8-session annual limits for smoking cessation counseling services for Healthfirst members. Remove any automated claim edits that deny SCC claims after 8 sessions per calendar year. Inform providers they can now provide unlimited medically necessary smoking cessation sessions for Healthfirst patients.