Legality State Lawīecause each state has its own practice act-and many states have made their own telehealth accommodations for the pandemic-telehealth laws vary widely across the country. To successfully administer an e-visit, a provider must use a secure, HIPAA-compliant patient portal virtual check-ins can occur via a number of different communication technologies, including a secure messaging platform and/or a live video call and telephone services must be conducted by telephone. ( Learn more here.) E-Visits, Virtual Check-ins, and Telephone Visits Phone calls, texts, unencrypted emails, and faxes do not meet the criteria for qualified telehealth delivery technologies. Many older telehealth platforms include “ store-and-forward” capabilities, but states are phasing out this type of telehealth delivery. The platform can be real-time and synchronous (e.g., a live video call) or asynchronous (e.g., transmission of data-like video files-back and forth over a period of time). Telehealth visits require the use of a two-way, HIPAA-compliant, audio and visual technology platform. Technology Requirements Telehealth Visits Telephone visits (i.e., when a provider communicates with a patient and conducts assessment and case management services through a telephone call).Virtual check-ins (i.e., when a provider communicates with a patient and conducts asynchronous or synchronous assessment and management services “via a number of communication technology modalities”) and.E-visits (i.e., when a provider communicates with a patient and conducts synchronous or asynchronous assessment and case management services through an online patient portal).Telehealth visits (i.e., when a provider furnishes care to a patient via a live, synchronous video stream).The virtual services umbrella encompasses telehealth-which is a specific type of virtual care service-in addition to other types of long-distance care.īecause of the COVID-19 public health emergency, many payers are allowing PTs and OTs to provide and bill for an array of virtual services, including: remote services) is a large umbrella term that can refer to any type of service provided to patients from a different location than where the patient is located. In order to successfully navigate the rules and regulations that apply to telehealth and other virtual care services, PTs and OTs must ensure that they’re using the correct terminology. Refer to the “Coverage” section of this article for more information, including a summary of CMS's temporary telehealth coverage policy. Please note that this article covers general telehealth principles-and that telehealth and remote care coverage and billing requirements vary widely from payer to payer (especially during the current crisis). The primary purpose of this informational discussion is to explain how PTs and OTs can bill for telehealth services-not to provide recommendations on technology platforms and services used to deliver telehealth. That said, for those PTs and OTs who decide to bill telehealth in the near future, there are a few crucial facts and processes to understand. For that reason, many providers are shaking up their business model and reallocating resources to telehealth-especially now that CMS is reimbursing PTs and OTs for certain telehealth and remote care services. In these tumultuous times, prioritizing the safety of our fellow healthcare workers and patients is of the utmost importance. While we are doing our best to keep all of our content current, we recommend referencing the original source (e.g., government or payer guidance) whenever possible. Some of the information in this article may have changed since we last updated it on May 27, 2020. Please note that developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated legislative guidelines and payer policies are changing rapidly.
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