Telehealth is Expected to Get a Big Boost in the Biden Era

Even before he was confirmed as President Joe Biden’s health secretary on March 18, 2021, Xavier Becerra had signaled his support for expanding telehealth. During his confirmation hearings in February, Becerra said, "I wholeheartedly believe we're going to be doing expansion of telehealth." 

You may have switched your practice to telehealth-only sessions when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and – like many in America – you are still working from home. You also may be paying rent for an office you’re no longer using. 

Why not just give up the office and work from home for the foreseeable future? Can you continue your practice as a telehealth-only home-based business? Is it just a matter of filling out a few change-of-address forms and ending your lease? 

Here are some things to keep in mind before switching to a telehealth-only home office:

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Medicare has relaxed requirements and expanded which services are reimbursed.

The process of billing can be a great hassle for providers, and risky business. Often telehealth providers do not know how to correctly bill for their services and sometimes create legal and ethical issues by billing incorrectly. Debbie Duran the owner of Mental Health Billing & Consulting in Louisiana shares from her 28+ years of experience billing for mental health providers.

The Office of Inspector General is recommending that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) more closely review telehealth claims for adherence to requirements and offer education to providers to increase awareness of those requirements.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS published their final rule for 2018 stating the changes to the Medicare physician fee schedule(PFS) and other Medicare Part B payment policies. 

Click here to see the final rule.

Here is a summary of the important updates for behavioral health providers.  However, DO NOT consider this as guidance for your Medicare billing.  We advise that you consult directly with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for guidance and to ensure the accuracy of your billing practices. 

Due to COVID-19 many healthcare insurance providers have expanded which services are eligible for reimbursement and how the services are to be billed. Each insurance provider may have their own way in which they require the service to be billed. Therefore, it is important to inquire about this process with each provider you bill.