Am I still covered under my insurance if I schedule telehealth?
The California Physical Therapy Association reports: “Throughout the pandemic, expanded telehealth services have made it easier and safer for Medicare patients to access care in a timely fashion and helped vulnerable individuals stay safer by avoiding public medical settings. During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE), CMS waived requirements that specify the types of providers that may bill for their services when furnished as Medicare telehealth services. As a result, a broader range of providers are now providing telehealth services--including physical therapists and physical therapist assistants--to Medicare patients. However, that temporary ability will end when the PHE is declared over. Congress must act to make it permanent.”
In response to the pandemic, almost all insurances gave the green light for Telehealth appointments with physical therapy. Prior to that, in California, most insurances only covered medical visits for Telehealth.
“One of the things the pandemic demonstrated is that patients need a bridge to high-quality care, and our legislators recognized that Telehealth is a viable, efficient way to deliver that care.” Says Mark Mailloux, PT, MBA, President of APTA New Hampshire.
As of now, on the federal level, Medicare patients are still covered under the Covid-19 public health emergency. Many other private insurance companies are also covering Physical Therapy Telehealth visits, but we will need to check your benefits.
Resources: States Acting to Expand Telehealth. Lewis, Michael MA. APTA magazine February 2021. Vol 13 No 1.