Consider it a sign of the times in health-care evolution: There is a new place of service (POS) code for “Walk-in Retail Health Clinics” according to a Medicare Learning Network article.

The article notes the code describes “a walk-in retail health clinic, other than an office, urgent care facility, pharmacy or independent clinic and not described by any other place of service code, that is located within a retail operation and provides, on an ambulatory basis, preventive and primary care services.”

The article adds, “For the health-care industry, the HIPAA effective date of the new POS code for walk-in health clinics is no later than May 1, 2010, with covered entities permitted to use it any time after which the new code is posted to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Web page.”

Medicare, however, “has not identified a need for this new code. Therefore, you should continue to use the billing instructions for immunizations described in the Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 18, Section 10.”