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Optima Therapy is here to support you in caring for your patients
Things are changing rapidly related to providing care during this public health emergency, COVID-19. We wanted to provide you with an update on some recently issued regulatory changes and how they may affect you.
Keep in mind that this is an unprecedented time and the regulatory landscape is evolving quickly. This messaging is consistent with the available information as of 5/5/2020. As significant changes occur, we are committed to providing updates to assist you in making decisions about the delivery of care to your patients. Please, stay well!
CMS Update
On April 30, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released an Interim Final Rule to improve the ability of healthcare providers to provide services during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) while decreasing risk of infection to providers and patients. The goals of the most recent changes from CMS Flexibilities to Fight COVID-19 are to:
- Expand the healthcare system workforce by removing barriers for physicians, nurses, and other clinicians to be readily hired from the community or from other states.
- Ensure that local hospitals and health systems have the capacity to handle a potential surge of COVID-19 patients; this includes temporary expansion sites (CMS Hospital Without Walls).
- Increase access to telehealth in Medicare to ensure patients have access to physician and clinicians while keeping patients safe at home.
- Expand in-place testing to allow for more testing at home or in community-based settings and establish data reporting vehicles that are critical to addressing the pandemic.
- Put Patients Over Paperwork to give temporary relief from many paperwork, reporting and audit requirements so providers, health care facilities, Medicare Advantage and Part D plans, and States can focus on providing needed care to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries affected by COVID-19.
Blanket Waivers
Highlights of the Blanket Waivers for Health Care Providers include the following:
Physical and Occupational Therapy and Speech Language Pathology
- Physical and Occupational Therapists and Speech Language Pathologists have been added to the list of practitioners eligible to perform telehealth listed on the Physicians and Other Clinicians document. This expansion is retroactively effective to March 1, 2020.
- Maintenance therapy can now be provided by a PTA/OTA for Medicare part B patients for in-person care. This service must be directed by a PT or OT, and appropriate modifiers should be included.
COVID-19 Testing
- CMS is temporarily waiving the requirement for a treating physician or NPP to order COVID-19 diagnostic tests and any practitioner can order a test for a patient. A previously established patient-practitioner relationship is no longer required.
- Antibody tests are covered, but with an appropriate indication of having a confirmed case of COVID-19 or symptoms like COVID-19 so the patient is being assessed for antibodies.
Specific Impact
Depending on the type of provide you are, the impact of these changes varies. Below is a summary of impact for SNF Therapy and Home Health Therapy.
Skilled Nursing Facility Therapy Services
- While physical and occupational therapists, and speech language pathologists are now included as eligible providers for telehealth, CMS has not clarified if this applies to part B services in Skilled Nursing Facilities. NASL is seeking additional clarification from CMS to ensure this extends to all settings.
- Current flexibility regarding physical environment and 3-Day Prior Hospitalization waivers is available for review.
- CMS has remained silent regarding coverage of telehealth for part A therapy in Skilled Nursing Facilities.
Home Health Therapy Services
We appreciate all that you do and are here to support you. We will provide additional updates as they arise. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at Optima-Support@nethealth.com.
Sincerely,
Optima Therapy Team
Disclaimer:
Net Health makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, correctness, suitability, or validity of any of the information presented here. All information is provided on an as-is basis. It is the reader's responsibility to verify any and all information presented herein.
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