Ecotypic

Prior authorization and medical necessity determinations are set by each insurance, if you end up on the wrong side of things, the costs can be catastrophic.

The Case of the $489,000 Air Ambulance Ride — Kaiser Health News Diagnosed with aggressive leukemia on a Western trip, a young man thought his insurance would cover an air ambulance ride home to North Carolina. Instead, questions about medical necessity left him with an astronomical bill.

You offer tele-health counseling, but do clients know that yet? Consider updating your information @

1. Your practice website
2. Your practice google listing
3. Your social media presence
4. Your listings at insurances you are contracted with

This is a good time for mental health providers to reach out to former clients and check-in with them. Let former clients know that you are offering tele-health services and would be glad to check and see if their current insurance offers coverage.

The following platforms offer HIPAA compliant video conferencing and are free to utilize.

https://doxy.me/

http://www.gotelecare.com/

The good news is that Massachusetts Governor Baker has mandated effective 3/10/20 that tele-health coverage for all Health Insurers regulated by the Division of Insurance to allow for tele-health coverage in Massachusetts.

https://www.mass.gov/doc/march-15-2020-telehealth-order/download?fbclid=IwAR39gOAK9Tg_osbDv_TJ9M0ynGCQV4tON6NS4PC4-Ek9-7sKmy2zlrpkI6E

Medicare rules relaxed due to COVID-19

Coronavirus (COVID-19): new telehealth rules and procedure codes for testing CMS has loosened restrictions on telehealth reimbursement for areas where the spread of the new coronavirus has been deemed an emergency.

Hello Everyone,

We all certainly hope the worst predictions of COVID-19 virus are not realized, the fear surrounding it alone may cause some clients to hesitate having a face-to-face visit. The good news is that most health insurance products allow for tele-health visits, often with just a little less reimbursement than a face-to-face visit. If clients start expressing concerns over seeing you face-to-face, contact me and we can look into their insurance product to determine if tele-health is an option for them.

Since we are all required to abide by HIPAA, it is important to use a compliant communication method when conducting a tele-health visit. I have discovered a free (for basic services) HIPAA compliant conferencing software that allows you to use your computer/mobile device/tablet to communicate with clients. This company does not provide an APP, you must always use a browser (what you use to navigate the internet) but does work with pretty much any connected device that has a camera (laptop/desktop/tablet/smart phone).

I would encourage anyone who hasn’t already determined a tele-health service to use, consider creating an account with Doxy.me to become familiar with their service.

Doxy.me will provide you a Business Associate Agreement if you want one, after you have signed up, refer to this link: https://help.doxy.me/en/articles/95880-how-do-i-get-a-baa-with-doxy-me

How do I get a BAA with Doxy.me? Generate and download your BAA