Resources

Client Alerts, News Articles, Blog Posts, & Multimedia

Everything you need to know about BMD and the industry.

Updated Guidance on Ohio Department of Medicaid Telehealth Rules During the Covid-19 Public Health Emergency

Client Alert
April 15, 2020

In its initial response to the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Ohio Department of Medicaid (“ODM”) issued emergency rule 5160-1-21, which dramatically expanded reimbursable telehealth services, telehealth providers, allowable technology, location of both providers and patients, and covered billing provider types. See BMD’s initial COVID-19 and Telehealth Resource Guide here. This emergency rule provides wide flexibility for patients to receive necessary healthcare services while Ohio’s Stay-At-Home Order remains in place. Regulations are continually changing in response to the public health crisis, and on April 13, 2020, ODM issued new guidance further expanding telehealth services reimbursable under Ohio’s Medicaid program.

  1. Expanded Telehealth Services, Providers, and Billing Provider Types

First, ODM is now covering the following telehealth services:

  • Limited oral evaluation
  • Hospice home care and long-term care
  • Direct skilled nursing services in the home health or hospice setting
  • Services of home health or hospice aides
  • Additional occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech language pathology, and audiology services
  • End stage renal disease (ESRD) related services

Second, the following practitioner types are now allowed to provide telehealth services and seek reimbursement from ODM:

  • Dentists
  • Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses working in a hospice or home health setting
  • Licensed and credentialed health professionals working in a hospital or nursing facility setting
  • Home health and hospice aides

Finally, the following provider types may now bill for covered services:

  • Professional dental groups
  • Home health and hospice agencies 
  1. Updated Billing Guidance

Most important in this update is the new billing guidance from ODM. This guidance will help ensure that providers are appropriately reimbursed for services provided to Medicaid beneficiaries through telehealth during this emergency. For all services, excluding ESRD-related services and some skilled therapy services (which will be updated at a later date), the telehealth changes found in 5160-1-21 will be implemented in the claims processing systems on Wednesday, April 15, 2020. This will be updated for fee-for-service, the Managed Care Plans, and MyCare Ohio Plans.

Once the system updates are in place, providers are encouraged to follow the new billing guidelines, which can be found here for non-OHMAS certified providers, and here for OHMAS certified providers. 

  1. Reminder on Previous Medicaid Telehealth Expansion

Pursuant to the emergency rule from ODM, the definition of telehealth now includes the use of telephone calls, fax, email, and other communication methods that may not have audio and video elements. Medicaid beneficiaries can be in any location and receive telehealth services, including homes, schools, temporary housing, hospitals, nursing facilities, group homes, and any other location, except for a prison or correctional facility. Likewise, eligible providers can deliver telehealth services from any location, including their own home offices and other non-institutional settings. Telehealth services are available even if the patient and provider do not have a pre-existing relationship.

For more information of Medicaid reimbursement during the COVID-19 public health emergency, please visit the Updated Telehealth Rule FAQs or contact a BMD health care attorney. 

Ohio Department of MedicaidCOVID-19 Telehealth ProgramTelehealth
Client Alert

Laboratory Specimen Collection Arrangements with Contract Hospitals - OIG Advisory Opinion 22-09

May 3, 2022On April 28, 2022, the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) published an Advisory Opinion[1] in which it evaluated a proposed arrangement where a network of clinical laboratories (the “Requestor”) would compensate hospitals (each a “Contract Hospital”) for specimen collection, processing, and handling services (“Collection Services”) for laboratory tests furnished by the Requestor (the “Proposed Arrangement”). The OIG concluded that the Proposed Arrangement would generate prohibited remuneration under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (“AKS”) if the requisite intent were present. This is due to both the possibility that the proposed per-patient-encounter fee would be used to induce or reward referrals to Requestor and the associated risk of improperly steering patients to Requestor.Client Alert

Property Owner Protection from Tax Valuation Challenges

April 29, 2022New legislation provides significant new protections for commercial property owners against challenges to valuation primarily by local school boards and prohibiting side agreements to avoid tax valuation changes. The Ohio Legislature has approved House Bill 126 which will go into effect July 2022 but will effectively apply to the 2023 tax valuation year.Client Alert

No Surprises Act Update: The IDR Portal is Open

April 25, 2022The No Surprises Act (“NSA”) became effective January 1, 2022, and has been the subject of lawsuits and criticisms since its inception. The goals of the No Surprises Act are to shield patients from surprise medical bills, provide to uninsured and self-pay patients good faith estimates of charges, and create a process to resolve payment disputes over surprise bills, which arise most typically in emergency care settings. We have written about Part I and Part II of the NSA previously. This update concerns the Independent Dispute Resolution (“IDR”) procedure created by Part II but applicable to claims covered by Part I. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) finally opened the Portal for providers to submit disputes to the IDR process following some updated guidance regarding the arbitration process itself.Client Alert

Updated FAQs for the No Surprises Act - Good Faith Estimates

April 7, 2022The No Surprises Act (“NSA”) became effective January 1, 2022. Meant to protect consumers from surprise medical bills, the new law is good for consumers, but vexatious for health care providers and facilities. One particular source of frustration is the operationalization of the Good Faith Estimate (“GFE”) requirement, governed by Part II of the regulations that implement the NSA. The GFE requirements apply broadly to all healthcare providers and facilities that practice within the scope of their state-issued license.Client Alert

IMPORTANT PRF UPDATE! HRSA Allows Providers the Opportunity to Correct Missed Period 1 Reporting

April 7, 2022Late Wednesday, April 6, HRSA announced that it was going to allow providers with extenuating circumstances that prevented them from preventing a completed Period 1 Report to submit a Request to Report Late Due to Extenuating Circumstances.
Older posts
Newer posts