Medicare and Cash: What You Need to Know

Must a physical therapist, occupational therapist and speech-language pathologist enroll in Medicare if they want to see Medicare beneficiaries for services that are covered by the Medicare program? When enrolling in Medicare, what are my options to choose from? What does it mean when I enroll as a participating provider? What does it mean when I enroll as a nonparticipating provider? If I enroll as a nonparticipating provider, does that then mean I can charge Medicare beneficiaries cash for outpatient therapy services that are covered by the Medicare program? If I enroll in Medicare, can I opt-out and then be able to charge Medicare beneficiaries cash for outpatient therapy services that are covered by the Medicare program? When can I bill Medicare beneficiaries cash for services that I provide to them? If I am only going to provide services to a Medicare beneficiary that are statutorily noncovered by the Medicare program, must I enroll in Medicare?

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