Effective with dates of service on and after April 16, 2020, TRICARE recognizes physical therapist assistants (PTAs) and occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) as TRICARE-Authorized Providers. On April 22, 2020, TRICARE updated their Policy Manual to include PTAs and OTAs. Highlights of the Policy Manual update include the following: Scope of practice of a PTA and OTA Supervision requirements of the PTA and OTA based on practice setting Reimbursement for services provided by a PTA or OTA Application of the CQ and CO modifier when services are provided in whole or in part by a PTA or OTA, respectively Payment differential

On December 20, 2018, the Department of Defense (DoD) released the long awaited proposed rule to add physical therapist assistants (PTAs) and occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) as TRICARE authorized providers. TRICARE accepted comments on the proposed rule until February 19, 2019. As of the date of this article being published, we I hope you found this article helpful. Thank you for being a Gold Member!