Supervision Requirements of an Assistant in 2022

In this article, I will answer the following questions regarding the supervision requirements of a physical therapist assistant (PTA) by a physical therapist (PT) and an occupational therapy assistant (OTA) by an occupational therapist (OT) under Medicare Part B outpatient therapy services for calendar year 2022: Lets begin!

Supervision of Therapy Students Under the Medicare Program

I receive several questions per week regarding the supervision requirements of student physical, occupational and speech therapists, student physical therapist assistants and student occupational therapy assistants when they are treating Medicare patients. In this article, I will give the answers to the following questions: What are the supervision requirements of students when they are treating Medicare beneficiaries receiving outpatient therapy services? What are the supervision requirements of students when they are treating Medicare beneficiaries receiving therapy services in a skilled nursing facility under Part A benefits? What are the supervision requirements of students when they are treating Medicare beneficiaries receiving … Read More

Has CMS Eased Student Supervision Requirements During COVID-19 Pandemic?

A question I received today and thought was worthwhile to post and answer for my Gold Members relates to student supervision requirements in the outpatient therapy setting. Due to COVID-19, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has eased the supervision requirements of a physical therapist assistant (PTA) by the physical therapist (PT) and occupational therapy assistant (OTA) by the occupational therapist (OT) in the private practice setting through the later of the end of the calendar year in which the COVID-19 pandemic ends or December 31, 2021. To read more about this change, click HERE. The question I … Read More

Current Supervision Requirements of an Assistant

In the private practice setting, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requires that the physical therapist (PT) provide direct supervision of the physical therapist assistant (PTA) and that the occupational therapist (OT) provide direct supervision of the occupational therapy assistant (OTA) when the PTA and OTA are furnishing covered services to a Medicare beneficiary receiving outpatient physical or occupational therapy services, respectively. This means the supervising PT or OT must be present in the office suite at the time the service(s) is provided by the PTA or OTA to the Medicare beneficiary. What providers want to know is … Read More

Supervision Requirements of an Assistant in a Private Practice

Due to the Public Health Emergency (PHE) as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has eased the supervision requirements of a physical therapist assistant (PTA) by a physical therapist (PT) and an occupational therapy assistant (OTA) by an occupational therapist (OT). In this article, I will answer the following questions: Normally, what are the supervision requirements of a PTA by a PT and an OTA by an OT in a private practice setting under traditional Medicare Part B? What are CMS’ current supervision requirements of a PTA by a PT and an … Read More