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03/26/20

Washington Governor Mandates Telehealth Reimbursement

On March 25, 2020, The State of Washington Governor Jay Inslee has issued a proclamation that states the following: “FURTHERMORE, based on the above situation and under the provisions of RCW 43.06.220(1)(h), tohelp preserve and maintain life, health, property or the public peace in addressing the COVID-19 State of Emergency, and for services provided during the period for which the above statutory waiver is in effect, I also prohibit the following activities by health carriers to encourage health care providers to provide telemedicine services by providing for payment parity between telemedicine and in-person medical services: Reimbursing in-network providers for telemedicine

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03/25/20

Arizona Mandates Telehealth Coverage

On March 25, 2020, Arizona Governor Douglas A. Ducey issued an Executive Order stating “Beginning on March 25, 2020 and continuing for the duration of the Public Health Emergency declared in Arizona on March 11, 2020, in order to protect public health, expedite access to and treatment of health conditions, and to slow the spread of COVID-19 within healthcare facilities, all health insurance plans regulated by the Arizona Department of Insurance are hereby required to provide coverage for all healthcare services that are provided through telemedicine if the healthcare service would be covered were it provided through an in-person visit

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03/25/20

South Dakota Medicaid Adds PTs and OTs to Telehealth

On March 20, 2020, South Dakota Medicaid has added temporary coverage of occupational therapy and physical therapy via telemedicine for patients at high risk for COVID-19 or under quarantine or social distancing during a declared emergency for COVID-19. Therapy services may only utilize telemedicine if the patient and provider have previously met for in-person services. Use of telemedicine for the convenience of the provider or recipient is not covered. South Dakota Medicaid has updated the Telemedicine Billing and Policy Manual to allow coverage for CPT codes 97530, 97110, and 97112. Telemedicine coverage is also available for school districtsunder CPT codes

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03/25/20

Anthem BCBS of Georgia and Telehealth

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of Georgia has a webpage where they are posted updates regarding COVID-19. To access the BCBS of Georgia provider home page, click HERE.

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03/24/20

State Resource for Telehealth Coverage

Here is a nice resource of states that have taken action on telehealth coverage. Check back daily as new information may be posted.

Click HERE to access the content.

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03/24/20

Regence BCBS Expands Telehealth Services

Regence BCBS is expanding telehealth coverage in the states of Idaho, Oregon, Utah, and select counties of the state of Washington. Click HERE to read all about telehealth. If you have specific questions about telehealth coverage for outpatient physical, occupational and/or speech therapy, you will need to contact your Regence provider.

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03/24/20

Washington PT Association Provides Guide to Telehealth Services

The state of Washington Physical Therapy Association has a dedicated webpage for telehealth services provided by physical therapists and physical therapist assistants. To access this page, click HERE.

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03/24/20

Blue Shield of California Adds Outpatient Therapy to Telehealth

Blue Shield (BS) of California has added outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy services as providers who can provide telehealth services and be reimbursed for those services. BS states “Physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT), speech therapy (SP), and registered nurse dietitian nutritionist services can all be provided via telehealth, limited to services that are not “hands-on” and can be provide remotely. Examples of common CPT codes that fall into this category: PT – 97110, OT – 97530, SP – 92507.” Click HERE to read it straight from the BS of California website.

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