August 12, 2022
REMINDER:
On Tuesday, August 16th at 12:00 pm ET, the National Council will host a webinar for all members on, ‘”Incident To” Provisions of the Proposed 2023 Physician Fee Schedule” with Susannah Vance Gopalan of our outside counsel Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP.
Background – The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) is proposing updates to the 2023 Physician Fee Schedule that would create an exception to the direct supervision requirement of “incident to” billing to allow for general supervision, which would allow certain mental health providers to be reimbursed without the physician or non-physician practitioners on-site requirement. Medicare’s Physician Fee Schedule, updated yearly, contains a comprehensive listing of the maximum fees physicians and other providers may be reimbursed under fee-for-service in Medicare.
In this webinar, participants will be provided an overview of “incident to” billing in Medicare, a summary of the “incident to” proposed rule changes for 2023, an analysis of the impact and implications to providers, and context for the applicability to dual eligible individuals.
To register please see this link – Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: ‘Incident To’ Provisions of the Proposed 2023 Physician Fee Schedule. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
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Yesterday, the CDC announced changes to its’ (now previous) guidance for schools and also for those who have been exposed to COVID-19. The author of the Report that outlines the new guidelines stated the following: “We know that Covid-19 is here to stay, … Currently, high levels of population immunity due to vaccination and previous infection and the many tools that we have available to protect people from severe illness and death have put us in a different space.”
It’s unclear what if any changes will be made at the state level based on the CDC’s new guidelines. This MAY be an indication that the federal government intends to end or unwind the Public Health Emergency (PHE) on or about October 15 (expiration date of the current Declaration). Still too soon to tell. We will continue to watch for clues.
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Earlier this week, HHS released its semiannual regulatory agenda, highlighting regulatory actions that the Department expects to take in the coming months. The regulatory agenda includes forecasted action surrounding increasing affordable health care access, remediating COVID-19, addressing health disparities, and promoting health equity among other items. Specifically, HHS announced its intention to make permanent rules that would allow methadone take-home doses in opioid treatment programs (OTPs). Use the link (embedded above) to read the full Agenda document)