In college, therapists and assistants get very little education and training in the business and compliance aspect of outpatient physical, occupational and/or speech therapy services. If they do, it is usually limited to the basics of CPT coding, documentation and perhaps, some billing. In addition, many office managers and billing staff do not receive the proper education and training regarding when a Medicare beneficiary can be held financially liable for payment for outpatient therapy services. This course will focus solely on the advance beneficiary notice of noncoverage (ABN) form and will answer the following questions regarding the ABN:
- In what formats can I issue an ABN?
- Can I use the ABN form for my Medicare Advantage patients?
- Can I issue an ABN if I am not enrolled in the Medicare program?
- When can I issue an ABN to a Medicare beneficiary?
- When is an ABN not required to be issued to a Medicare beneficiary?
- How does the annual therapy threshold and targeted medical review impact me issuing an ABN?
- How do I complete the ABN completely and correctly?
- If Medicare ends up paying me for the services I thought they would deny, how soon must I refund the patient?
- When would I issue a voluntary ABN to a Medicare beneficiary?
- What is the difference between Option #1 and Option #2 in Section G of the ABN form?
- How does the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary Program that some Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in effect the completion of the ABN and my ability to collect payment from the Medicare beneficiary?
At the conclusion of this online course, participants will:
- List the formats in which an ABN may be delivered to a Medicare beneficiary
- Demonstrate how to correctly complete an ABN and issue it to a Medicare beneficiary
- Calculate the estimated cost to the Medicare beneficiary that you expect Medicare to deny
- Identify when it is and is not appropriate to issue an ABN to a Medicare beneficiary
- Describe the difference between the 3 Options in Section G of the ABN form
- Differentiate the differences in the completion of a mandatory ABN versus a voluntary ABN
- Explain how the annual therapy threshold and targeted medical review impact your decision on issuing an ABN
- Recognize when you can and can’t collect payment from a Medicare beneficiary when an ABN has been issued
- Recall the timeframe in which you must refund payment to a Medicare beneficiary if Medicare ends up paying for the service(s) you thought they were going to deny
- Discuss how a Medicare beneficiary who is enrolled in the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary Program (QMB) may not be financially responsible even if an ABN was issued
Physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, speech-language pathologists, private practice owners and practice administrators, billing companies, office managers at private practices, as well as compliance officers, risk managers, directors, managers, supervisors, and billers in skilled nursing facilities, hospital outpatient therapy departments, rehabilitation agencies, home health agencies, and comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facilities.
In addition to the expertise and advice presented during this online conference, you’ll also receive a handout (in PDF format) that will include related reference links.
Online Course – Computer and internet connection required. Participants will be provided a url link where they can log in and follow the presentation on their computer as the speaker provides the presentation. If your computer has speakers, you will be able to hear the audio portion through your computer speakers and will not require a phone connection. No phone lines will be available for this online course.
This course has not been submitted to any state board or national organization for CEU approval. A certificate of attendance will be available upon completion of the course for each participant and may be adequate for credit in some states; you will need to contact your state licensing regulatory body to determine whether or not credit will be granted for this onlne conference. We provide no additional information for CEU approval.
Register for the event on or before 12:45pm EDT on August 13, 2026.
When you register, you’ll receive a confirmation e-mail that serves as your receipt. You will receive an email the day prior to the course that will provide you instructions on how to access the course, test your computer and download the handouts. If you register the day of the online course, instructions are emailed every half hour beginning at 11:00am EST. Please make sure that your email system will accept messages from the online conference host: seminars@gawendaseminars.com. The easiest way to do this is to add this email address to the contacts list in your email software.
Gather your staff and listen to this course conference via your computer speakers or a speaker phone, follow along with the session handout on your computer, and participate in a live, interactive Question and Answer session.
PLEASE NOTE: ONE REGISTRATION PROVIDES YOU WITH ONE COMPUTER CONNECTION FOR THE ONLINE CONFERENCE. You may pay for additional locations where indicated on the registration form.
There are no refunds for no shows or any other reasons once you register and payment is received. We are not responsible for organization firewalls or computer software issues that may interfere and/or prohibit your connection to the webinar portion of the presentation.
Playback link is NOT included with registration, but registrants have an option to purchase a playback link for $49.95 prior to completing online registration.
Playback link allows you to view and listen to the webinar live on your computer as many times as you would like and the playback link is emailed 72 business hours after the completion of the webinar.
If you know you will not listen live, you do not need to purchase the playback link for an additional $49.95.
TelSpanWeb System Requirements to View Course on Computer:
Windows
- 2.0GHz CPU with dual-core processor minimum (Recommended: Quad-core i5 processor or better)
- 4GB of RAM minimum (Recommended: 8GB or more)
- Microsoft® Windows 10®
- Microsoft® Windows 8.x®
- Microsoft® Windows 7® SP1
- Chrome v50 or higher (recommended for best performance), Firefox 49.x or higher
MAC OS
- Mac computer with an Intel processor (Recommended: Dual core 2.0GHz or faster
- 4GB of RAM minimum (Recommended: 8GB or more)
- Mac OS X v10.8 or higher
- Chrome v50 or higher (recommended for best performance), Safari 12.1 or higher, Firefox 49.x or higher
Linux
- 2.4GHz or faster x86-compatible processor or Intel® Atom™ 1.6GHz or faster processor for netbooks
- 4GB of RAM minimum (Recommended: 8GB or more)
- Red hat® enterprise Linux (RHEL) 5
- Novell SUSE® 9.x or higher
- Ubuntu 10 or later
Solaris
- Solaris 10
- Chrome v50 or higher (recommended for best performance), Firefox 49.x or higher
Bandwidth/Ports:
- Minimum 800 kbps upload/download
- Recommended 1.5 mbps upload/download
- WEB SERVER: https traffic on port 443.
- SIGNALING SERVER: https traffic on port 443 (recently changed from port 80).
- MEDIA SERVER API: https traffic on port 443.
Disabled pop-up blockers
Computer speakers for participants listening over the computer
Testing
In order to ensure successful connection to your upcoming meeting, please take a moment to conduct a system test by clicking this link: http://web.telspan.com/systemcheck
Rick Gawenda | PTPresident