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

Vacating, Modifying or Correcting an Arbitration Award Under R.C. 2711.13: Three-Month Limitation Maximum; Not Guaranteed Amount of Time

June 8, 2021In a recent decision, the Supreme Court of Ohio held that neither R.C. 2711.09 nor R.C. 2711.13 requires a court to wait three months after an arbitration award is issued before confirming the award. R.C. 2711.13 provides that “after an award in an arbitration proceeding is made, any party to the arbitration may file a motion in the court of common pleas for an order vacating, modifying, or correcting the award.” Any such motion to vacate, modify, or correct an award “must be served upon the adverse party or his attorney within three months after the award is delivered to the parties in interest.” In BST Ohio Corporation et al. v. Wolgang, the Court held the three-month period set forth in R.C. 2711.13 is not a guaranteed time period in which to file a motion to vacate, modify, or correct an arbitration award. 2021-Ohio-1785.Client Alert

EEOC Provides Updated Guidance Regarding Employer COVID-19 Vaccine Policies

June 3, 2021On May 28, 2021, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission updated its guidance regarding employer COVID-19 vaccination policies. The new guidance provides much-needed clarification of expectations for employers seeking to promote workplace safety and prevent the spread of COVID-19, including discussion of mandatory vaccination policies, voluntary vaccination incentives, and accommodation of employees based on disability or sincerely held religious beliefs. The full text of the update is found in Section K of the EEOC’s COVID Q&A document. You can also learn more about these and other developments from BMD's Bryan Meek and Monica Andress through the Employment Law After Hours YouTube channel, available here.Client Alert

What Telemedical Barriers Practices Face and How They Can Manage Them

May 28, 2021The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to many businesses and industries having to rapidly adapt new practices in order to stay profitable, and the healthcare industry is no exception. Although telehealth tools and practices have existed and been used since the Vietnam War, the pandemic has caused many individual healthcare practices to heavily rely on telehealth as a large portion of their service mix in order to continue to provide care for patients. Because of this rapid adoption of telehealth practices in order to combat the restrictions of COVID-19, the telemedicine industry’s revenue has exploded in the last year. Experts predict that telehealth will continue to grow in use beyond the current pandemic, estimating the industry’s worth to be $25 billion by 2025. However, this rapid adoption of telehealth was prompted out of need and has not been without its own barriers that practices now face.Client Alert

Which Entity Should I Form When Starting a New Business?

May 21, 2021As a tax law attorney, friends and acquaintances ask me this question all the time: what type of entity should I form when starting a new business? With many business options available it can be confusing determining which business structure would be appropriate. Below is a general overview of each business structure and the tax responsibilities of each.Client Alert

IMPORTANT UPDATE: IRS Opens Portals for Advanced Child Tax Credit Payments 2021

May 20, 2021The American Rescue Plan Act (the “Act”) expands the Child Tax Credit for tax year 2021. In addition to expanding the Child Tax Credit, the Act provides for advance payments of the 2021 Child Tax Credit. Beginning in July, the IRS will automatically send Advanced Child Tax Credit payments to eligible taxpayers based on their 2020 tax return (or 2019 tax return if the 2020 tax return has not been filed and processed yet). The amount of the advanced payment will be up to $300 each month for each qualifying child under 6 years old at the end of 2021 and $250 each month for each qualifying child between 6 and 17 years old at the end of 2021. For example, if you have 2 qualifying children, one 4 years old and one 8 years old, you may receive up to $550 each month in advance child tax credit payments.
Older posts
Newer posts