Here are 2 updates regarding telehealth services being expanded to outpatient therapy services. Effective March 30, 2020, NC Medicaid is temporarily modifying its Telemedicine and Telepsychiatry Clinical Coverage Policy to better enable the delivery of remote care to Medicaid and NC Health Choice beneficiaries. These temporary changes will be retroactive to March 10, 2020, and will end the earlier of the cancellation of the North Carolina state of emergency declaration or when this policy is rescinded. Click HERE to read the special bulletin and its application to outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy services. Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of North Carolina

Please click on the applicable links below regarding updates on telehealth coverage for outpatient therapy services in the states of Indiana, Maryland and Oklahoma. Executive Order from Governor of Indiana Executive Order from Governor of Maryland Oklahoma Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision

Effective April 9, 2020, this article is no longer current. Click HERE to read the latest about Cigna and their coverage of outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy delivered via telehealth. This article was updated on March 28, 2020 by adding a link to American Specialty Health and updating the place of service code to use on the 1500-claim form. In addition, it’s my interpretation that Cigna is only paying for telehealth services for physical, occupational and speech therapy submitted on a 1500-claim form by a private practice. Institutional providers (i.e. rehab agencies and hospital outpatient departments) should contact Cigna

With many states mandating insurance plans in their state expand telehealth services and reimbursement to include physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT) and speech therapy (ST) as well as several insurances expanding telehealth services and reimbursement on their own, I am being asked what CPT code(s) do I use to bill for telehealth services for physical, occupational and/or speech therapy services. The answer is the one that you do not like. It is insurance carrier specific and you have to check with each insurance carrier and yes, this includes workers compensation. Codes that I am commonly seeing insurance companies mention

On March 26, 2020, at 11:00pm CDT, Unitedhealthcare (UHC) posted the following announcement on their website:

On March 15, 2020, Massachusetts Governor Charles D. Baker issued an order expanding access to telehealth services and to protect healthcare providers. This order requires all Commercial Health Insurers, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, and Health Maintenance Organizations regulated by the Division of Insurance, are hereby required to allow all in-network providers to deliver clinically appropriate, medically necessary covered services to members via telehealth. Click HERE to access this order. Click HERE to access the Massachusetts Physical Therapy Association COVID-19 Resource Center.

The state of Alaska has released the following Notice: Notice of the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development announces the issuance of Bulletin 20-07 to insurers regarding changes to telehealth coverage standards that are the result of emergency legislation, effective March 17, 2020. The new law may be found at: http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/start.asp  . Enter the bill number HB29 to find the full text and legislative history of the bill. You may obtain a copy of the bill by contacting the Alaska Legislative Information Office. Please note that this bill has an IMMEDIATE effective date of 3/17/2020. The bill revises AS 21.42.422 to expand telehealth

On March 26, 2020, South Carolina Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) posted Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding COVID-19. You will want to read question #14 as this pertains to physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists. Here is the Question and Answer: Can physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists file for telephone visits?Yes, we will accept claims for physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy, using the following codes: • 98966: Telephonic Assessment and Management services provided by a qualified non-physician health care professional to an established patient; 5-10 minutes of medical discussion • 98967: Telephonic Assessment and Management