K680 OHIP Billing Code: Substance Abuse Extended Assessment

The K680 billing code under OHIP is designated for substance abuse extended assessments. This service is particularly applicable when a deeper, more thorough assessment of a patient's substance use disorder is needed — often surpassing a standard visit in time and complexity. Typical cases may involve evaluating a patient with opioid or alcohol use disorders, assessing withdrawal risks, comorbid mental illnesses, and constructing an initial treatment plan.

This code is especially valuable in family practice where the initial comprehensive assessment requires detailed attention to the patient's history and circumstance. K680 is time-based, measured in half-hour units, which means meticulous documentation of start and stop times is essential to justify billing.

To be eligible for K680 billing:

• The service must be time-based, with each unit representing a half-hour or the major part thereof. The start and stop times must be clearly recorded in the patient's permanent medical record as per time-keeping requirements outlined in the General Preamble GP7 and GP55.
• No other consultation, assessment, or time-based service can be eligible for payment on the same day by the same physician for the same patient when K680 is billed.
• K680 cannot be used for the management of smoking cessation; refer to K039 for smoking cessation management.
• Virtual delivery of the service is possible, coded as K680A, and is eligible under "VIDEO OR TELEPHONE" comprehensive virtual care services.