The COVID-19 public health emergency forced health care providers to use other methods besides in-person services to provide care. The crisis has also led government and commercial health care payers to reexamine their reimbursement for practitioners providing remote services during the pandemic.
Last year, as traditional office visits came to a halt, many payers temporarily began reimbursing psychologists at in-person rates for providing video telehealth services, audio-only or phone services, and online assessment.
“The temporary expansion of telehealth policies prompted by the spread of COVID-19 has accelerated the adoption of telehealth for most clinicians. A year from now, I expect psychologists will continue to embrace this method of service delivery because it gives more patients access and improves continuity of care for patients with barriers to care,” says Stephen Gillaspy, PhD, APA’s director of health care financing.
It’s unclear whether insurers will continue to allow expanded use of telehealth and audio-only services. That’s why it’s critical that APA and its members continue to advocate to make these policy changes permanent, Gillaspy says. “This will involve working with payers to ensure clinical quality and maintain program integrity.”
