Resources

Client Alerts, News Articles, Blog Posts, & Multimedia

Everything you need to know about BMD and the industry.

ODM and OhioMHAS Continue to Expand Telehealth

Client Alert
July 20, 2020

On July 17, 2020, Governor DeWine signed Executive Order 2020-29D, which allowed the Ohio Department of Medicaid (“ODM”) to immediately rescind old provisions and file a new rule (5160-1-18) and the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (“OhioMHAS”) to amend their current rule (5122-29-31), both expanding telehealth and introducing even more flexibility into Ohio’s healthcare system. 

Both rules will expire on November 14, 2020, unless adopted through the normal JCARR process. This is a significant move for ODM as they were previously operating off of a newly added emergency rule (“Telehealth During a State of Emergency”), but the department is now transitioning these expanded telehealth rules directly into their rule that existed prior to the public health emergency. 

In general, if a service does not have some type of in-person requirement (surgery, procedure, test etc.), then it most likely is appropriate to conduct via telehealth. 

ODM – 5160-1-18 

  • Telehealth can either be:
    • Synchronous, interactive, real-time electronic communications using both audio and video; or
    • Asynchronous activities that do not have both audio and video (calls, emails, images through fax) 
  • Patient site and practitioner site – the physical location of each at the time of service 
  • Eligible Providers:
    • Physician
    • Psychologist
    • Physician assistant
    • Certified nurse specialist, certified nurse-midwife, certified nurse practitioner
    • LISW, LIMFT, LPCC
    • LICDC
    • Supervised practitioners and supervised trainees
    • Audiologist, speech-language pathologist, speech-language pathology aids, and audiology aids
    • Occupational and physical therapist and occupation and physical therapist assistants
    • Home health and hospice aids
    • Private duty registered nurse or licensed practical nurse in a home health or hospice setting
    • Dentists
    • Dietitians
    • Behavioral health practitioners 
  • Provider types eligible to bill for services rendered through Telehealth:
    • Any practitioner
    • Professional medical group
    • Professional dental group
    • FQHC/RHC
    • Ambulatory health care clinics
    • Outpatient hospitals
    • Private duty nurses
    • Home health and hospice agencies
    • Behavioral health providers 
  • Requirements:
    • Must comply with current HIPAA guidance from Office of Civil Rights
    • Practitioner site responsible for maintaining appropriate documentation
    • Patient and practitioner sites should be consistent with CPT and HCPCS guidelines for the service being provided 
  • Payment may be made for all of the following services in the appendix here. 
  • Claims should be submitted in accordance with Telehealth billing guidance and those detailed provisions in subparagraph (E) of this new rule 

OhioMHAS – 5122-29-31

Telehealth means real-time audiovisual communications with quality to permit accurate and meaningful interactions and includes asynchronous modalities that do not have both audio and video elements 

  • Originating site (client) and distant site (provider) are where each are located at the time of service 
  • No initial in person visit is necessary to initiate services using telehealth 
  • Prior to initiating services, a provider must inform the patients of potential risks of telehealth and document that patient understood and agrees to those risks (clinical aspects, security considerations and confidentiality considerations) 
  • Services:
    • General services
    • CPST
    • Therapeutic behavioral services and psychosocial rehabilitation
    • Peer recovery
    • SUD case management
    • Crisis intervention
    • ACT
    • IHBT 
  • Provider must have a physical location in Ohio or have access to a physical location in Ohio where individuals may opt to receive services that are being provided by telehealth modalities 

Please contact a BMD healthcare attorney if you have any questions regarding these telehealth rules, any telehealth questions in general, or any other healthcare questions.

Governor Mike DeWineOhio Department of MedicaidtelehealthCOVID-19Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction ServicescoronavirusExecutive Order
Client Alert

Interim Final Rule for Surprise Billing

July 12, 2021In an effort to implement the new bipartisan No Surprises Act, on July 1, 2021, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), along with the Departments of Labor and Treasury, issued an interim final rule to safeguard patients against unforeseen medical bills arising from out-of-network care.Client Alert

President Biden Seeks to Limit Non-Compete Agreements

July 8, 2021Today, President Biden announced he would issue an Executive Order that calls on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to adopt rules to curtail worker non-compete agreements. Interestingly, a week ago, the FTC approved changes to its Rules of Practice to modernize and expedite the way it issues Trade Regulation Rules. If you have followed our alerts, we predicted the elimination of non-competes would probably happen. In 2016, then-Vice President Biden was a vocal opponent against non-compete agreements. He led the Obama administration’s initiative seeking to limit or eliminate non-compete agreements. In his presidential campaign, Biden promised to “work with Congress to eliminate all non-compete agreements, except the very few that are absolutely necessary to protect a narrowly defined category of trade secrets . . ..”Client Alert

New NIL Opportunities for Student-Athletes Require Diligent Review

July 8, 2021On June 28, 2021, Governor Mike DeWine signed Executive Order 2021-10D, “Establishing the Duties of Colleges and Universities as to Name, Image, and Likeness Compensation of Student-Athletes.” The Executive Order was motivated by the passage of similar name, image, and likeness (“NIL”) regulations in seventeen (17) other states; Ohio followed suit to avoid a significant competitive disadvantage in attracting student-athletes to the state.Client Alert

Tax Savings Potentially on the Chopping Block under President Biden’s American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan

June 18, 2021Recently, President Biden has proposed several tax law changes in his American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan. Outlined below, are a few of the tax savings that could be significantly changed or eliminated under Biden’s plans.Client Alert

Here are the Final Candidates for Mayor of Cleveland

June 17, 2021Earlier this year, current Cleveland Mayor, Frank Jackson, announced he would not run for re-election this fall. With no need to beat an incumbent, the Cleveland mayoral race suddenly became competitive. Thirteen individuals declared their intent to run for mayor. The City of Cleveland, however, has a difficult qualification requirement to run: 3,000 valid signatures from Cleveland residents. The deadline to file a petition to run, with the 3,000 valid signatures, had to be submitted by June 16 (yesterday).
Older posts
Newer posts