Hospital outpatient departments may soon be able to bill Medicare for tele-behavioral health services offered to patients in their homes on a permanent basis, Behavioral Health Business reports.
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) included this provision in the 2023 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System proposed rule.
The move is meant to ensure rural and other underserved communities maintain access to behavioral health.
If implemented, the rule would mean that remote behavioral health visits to CMS beneficiaries could be covered as outpatient service. During the public health emergency (PHE), CMS created flexibility to allow virtual behavioral health reimbursement through the Hospitals Without Walls (HWW) policy.
However, once the PHE comes to an end, this will cease. Read more.
