CMS Archives | WebPT

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January 24, 2020
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Hot Off the Press: CMS Reverses 2020 NCCI Changes

Earlier this month, we covered some major changes to the NCCI edit rules set forth by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Per those changes, as of January 1, 2020, PTs, OTs, and ATCs were no longer receiving payment on the following CPT codes when billed with CPT® code 97530 (therapeutic activities) and/or 97150 (group therapy):

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January 7, 2020
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Founder Letter: 4 Major Opportunities for PTs in 2020 and Beyond

At the end of every year, I like to reflect on what’s happened and a look ahead at what’s to come. I have to say, CMS’s end-of-the-year 8% cut announcement was a challenging piece of news, but even with the obstacles it presents for our profession, I am still incredibly hopeful about our future.

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January 6, 2020
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5 Benefits of MIPS Participation for Physical Therapists

New Year’s Eve is a time to celebrate transformation and positive change—and for that, it’s one of my favorite holidays. Not only are you celebrating the year that’s gone past—from your best moments to your trickiest trials—but you’re also celebrating the year that’s about to come.

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December 26, 2019
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Everything PTs Need to Know About Accepting Medicare Assignment

Over the years, we’ve written quite a few blog posts about Medicare—covering everything from Medicare and direct access to Medicare supervision requirements—and I don’t foresee that stopping any time soon. After all, there are so many intricacies and nuances to navigating Medicare that we have fodder to write until, well, either the end of time or the end of Medicare—whichever comes first.

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December 20, 2019
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MIPS for PTs, OTs, and SLPs: What’s Changing in 2020?

CMS is ringing in 2020 with some regulatory changes—including tweaks to everyone’s favorite quality payment program: MIPS. Luckily, you don’t need to whip yourself into a compliance frenzy and navigate your own way through a stormy sea of new, changed, and deleted rules and guidelines.

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December 19, 2019
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FAQ: MIPS and S’more: 2020 Final Rule Highlights

Okay, we’ll admit it: it’s probably the worst time of year to go camping. (It may not snow a whole lot in our lovely desert home, but even our December nights have gotten so, so bitterly cold.) But, that didn’t stop Heidi Jannenga, PT, DPT, ATC, WebPT Co-Founder and Chief Clinical Officer, and Rick Gawenda, PT, CEO of Gawenda Seminars & Consulting, from hosting an hour-long camping-themed webinar where they talked about ghost stories and s’mores—and a handful of CMS’s 2020 regulatory changes.

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December 11, 2019
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4 Facts Every PT Should Know About Telehealth Compliance

Telehealth is no passing fad. In fact, more and more PTs are getting wise to the benefits of implementing telehealth technology in their practices—including better access to homebound and rural patients, increased revenue opportunities, and decreased provider costs.

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December 6, 2019
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4 Common Rehab Therapy Documentation Mistakes

cumentation is a thorn in the side of many a rehab therapist. It can be convoluted, confusing, and insanely time-consuming—and it definitely doesn’t help that the rules change every year. (Thanks a lot, CMS.) But, even though writing SOAP documentation can feel like an unforgiving and tedious task, it still deserves your full and undivided attention—because distractions can trigger mistakes, which can trigger denials, which can trigger attention from CMS, which can trigger an audit.

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December 4, 2019
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Founder Letter: Reconsidering MIPS: Should PTs Participate in 2020?

Over the past year or so, the idea of MIPS participation has undergone an enormous transformation in the minds of rehab therapists. When the program was first introduced, we were optimistic about participation, and we heralded its arrival as an opportunity for therapists to prove their worth to CMS.

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December 4, 2019
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Can PTAs Do Progress Notes? (And Other PTA and OTA Questions)

Recently, we’ve received a whole lot of questions about what physical therapist assistants (PTAs) and occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) can and cannot do in practice—likely because many practice owners are re-evaluating staff roles and clinic operations in preparation of the Medicare reimbursement reduction for assistant-provided services, which takes effect in 2022.

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