Re: PT aide supervision and utilization - not really fair...

[Guest guest]

I am not sure where you pulled the outdated incident

to physcian information from, but aides can't provide

services to Medicare outpatients in any setting and

have their services billed to Medicare by therapists

or physicians. This was clarifeid by CMS back in 2005.

Read page 202-204 of the link below. This is from CMS

Pub 100-02, Chapter 15, Covered Medical and Other

Health Services

http://www.cms.hhs.gov/manuals/Downloads/bp102c15.pdf

Rick Gawenda, PT

President

Section on Health Policy & Administration

APTA

--- keith bisesi wrote:

> I was researching PT aide supervision and

> utilization and was very surprised to see that aides

> can provide PT services and be reimbursed in a

> physician owned practice under Medicare. The PT does

> not even have to be present for direct supervision.

> Look at the restrictions on private practice

> compared to the lack of restrictions with a POPTS

> below.

>

>

> Physical Therapist in Private Practice (PTPP)

> In order for services to be reimbursed under

> Medicare Part B benefit, they may not be provided by

> a physical therapy aide, regardless of level of

> supervision.

> CMS’s policy is that the therapy aide may assist

> the professional therapist or therapist assistant to

> perform a specific therapy service. The aide should

> never be the provider of the service, however, and

> employees must be personally supervised by the

> physical therapist.

>

> Physician's Office/ " Incident to " billing

> Physical therapy services must be provided by or

> under the direct supervision of the physician. CMS

> has generally defined direct supervision to mean

> that the physician be in the office suite when an

> individual procedure is performed by supportive

> personnel. Currently a physical therapist or

> physical therapist assistant does not have to be

> present with an aide in a physician’s office when

> the physical therapy service is being provided

> " incident to " the physician's service. Services

> performed by an aide are reimbursable when

> supervision requirement is met and billed " incident

> to " .

>

> 1-

> hhstips@...

>

> Bisesi MPT COMT

> Winter Haven, Fl.

>

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