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11/16/21

CMS COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

Update December 4, 2021 From CMS: On November 29 and November 30, 2021, the United States District Court for the Eastern District ofMissouri and United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana issued preliminaryinjunctions against the implementation and enforcement of the Interim Final Rule against Medicare and Medicaid-certified providers and suppliers. CMS has appealed both of these decisions, and has filed motions for stays of these orders. While CMS remains confident in its authority to protect the health and safety of patients in facilities certified by the Medicare and Medicaid programs, it has suspended activities related to the

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10/15/21

COVID Public Health Emergency Extended Again

On October 15, 2021, Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra renewed the Public Health Emergency (PHE) due to COVID-19. The new expiration date of the PHE is the end of the day on January 15, 2022.

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07/23/20

PHE Due to COVID-19 Extended

The Public Health Emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been extended by Secretary Azar. The new expiration date is I hope you found this information helpful. Thank you for being a Gold Member!

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06/02/20

When Will Medicare Telehealth Coverage End?

This article was updated on July 23, 2020 due to a change in the expiration date of outpatient therapy services delivered via telehealth. See below for the updated answer on the expiration date of the Public Health Emergency due to COVID-19. As I hope you all know by now, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has expanded who can provide and be reimbursed for services delivered via telehealth to include outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy services provided not only by private practices, but also institutional providers. Now what everyone wants to know is this a temporary or

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04/19/20

Coronavirus and Therapy in the Home

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), I am receiving many questions regarding the ability for physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists to provide outpatient therapy services in a patient’s home and to have those services reimbursed by the Medicare program and private/commercial insurance carriers. See below for some of the common questions I receive and the answers to each question. This article was originally published on March 16, 2020, but I republished it today and added additional Q&As. QuestionDoes the Medicare program reimburse for outpatient therapy in a patient’s home? Answer QuestionWhat is considered a patient’s home? Answer QuestionWith the

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04/10/20

Telehealth, Medicare and Outpatient Therapy

QuestionAs of April 15, 2020 at 5:00pm EDT, does the Medicare program pay for telehealth services provided by a physical therapist, occupational therapist or speech-language pathologist? Answer I hope you found the answer to this question to be a definitive answer. Thank you for being a Gold Member!

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04/09/20

Medicare Advantage and Telehealth Services

While we wait for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to add physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists as telehealth providers for outpatient therapy services, a question I am receiving is how does this relate to Medicare Advantage plans. What you need to remember is that traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantages plans are not the same. Regarding Medicare Advantage plans and do they pay for telehealth services for outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy services is Medicare Advantage plan specific. You must contact each insurance carrier to see if they have expanded telehealth services to include outpatient

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04/09/20

Hospitals, E-Visits and the UB-04 Claim Form

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), due to the Public Health Emergency (PHE) due to COVID-19 Pandemic, are allowing physical therapists (PTs), occupational therapists (OTs) and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to provide the following services: G2010: Remote evaluation of recorded video and/or images submitted by an established patient (e.g., store and forward), including interpretation with follow-up with the patient within 24 business hours, not originating from a related E/M service provided within the previous 7 days nor leading to an E/M service or procedure within the next 24 hours or soonest available appointment G2012: Brief communication technology-based service, e.g.

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