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Question: Does the telecommunication waiver for off-site (virtual) supervision of assistants apply to physical and occupational therapy private practices? Answer: Yes, virtual supervision of PTAs and OTAs absolutely applies to both physical and occupational therapy private practices, respectively. Question: Do physical and/or occupational therapists have to utilize AV communication vehicles throughout the PTA/OTA treatment session of a […]

We cannot be certain, nor have we been promised, that Medicare Administrative Contractors will have the COVID-19 Relief Package with the new Physician Fee Schedule changes for therapy providers (~9% reduced to 3.6%) loaded in their systems to properly adjudicate claims for dates of service beginning January 1, 2021. Things to consider: Hold Medicare claims. If […]

  There were a number of declarations at the end of each of the SBA loan applications that deal with compliance with various federal law such as civil rights laws, OSHA, HIPAA, etc.. Are you at risk for an Audit because you received an SBA loan or Federal Funds? When the pandemic began, CMS Survey’s […]

The legislation prevents proposed steep cuts to Medicare in 2021 by providing a one-time exemption from budget neutrality rules. That’s important, because CMS is citing those constraints as the reason it’s planning on cutting payment for more than three dozen professions to offset the cost of increases to the office/outpatient Evaluation and Management codes, known […]

CMS announced that it resumed surveys and inspections of all providers and suppliers on August 17, 2020. CMS had previously suspended certain routine inspections as part of its response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to prioritize infection control and immediate jeopardy situations and to give health care providers and suppliers time needed to […]

  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services today announced a new value-based payment model for rural healthcare providers. The Community Health Access and Rural Transformation (CHART) Model ties payment to value, increases choice and lowers costs for patients, CMS said. CHART will provide support through new seed funding and payment structures, operational and regulatory flexibilities […]

We have received a number of questions regarding which benefit categories HCPCS codes G2061 through G2063 fall under. In the March 31st COVID-19 IFC (85 FR 19244-19245) we established on an interim basis for the duration of the PHE for the COVID-19 pandemic that these services could be billed for example, by licensed clinical social […]

The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) recently handed out a $1.O4M penalty to Lifespan for a stolen laptop that was unencrypted. In this instance an employee had a work laptop stolen out of their car. Key violations that incurred the penalties included the following: Failure to implement policies and procedures to encrypt PHI Failure to […]

During this uncertain time, Business & Clinical Management Services (BCMS) is here to support private physical therapy practices during COVID-19. The Department of Health and Human Services The Department of Health and Human Services has designated them members of the Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce (https://www.cisa.gov/publication/guidance-essential-critical-infrastructure-workforce).  We feel it is our professional duty to share information […]

We know it has been challenging to navigate all the staffing and HR related decisions for physical therapy owners during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The information below is designed to explain options and enhance your decision-making process.  The data is current as of Wednesday, March 25th, 2020, 2:00 pm CST. Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) […]