Mar 19, 2023 | Advocacy, Insurance & Reimbursement
The Increasing Mental Health Options Act (S.669) has been reintroduced in the Senate. As in the last Congress, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) sponsored the legislation along with Susan Collins (R-ME), and is joined this year by new Senator (and past House supporter) Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-CO). The American Psychological Association is working with House supporters on the introduction of companion legislation in that chamber.
The legislation would establish independent practice authority for psychologists treating Medicare patients in outpatient rehabilitation facilities, skilled nursing facilities, partial hospitalization programs, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, and home health agencies. The legislation would also make psychologists eligible for Medicare bonus payments for services delivered in mental health professional shortage areas starting in 2025.
Write your United States senators and ask them to co-sponsor or support S.669.
Feb 9, 2023 | Advocacy, Blog, News
Some of you may remember our discussion about CareDash, a nationwide directory (pulled from the NPI listings) of of therapists that included individual therapists without seeking their permission or getting any details of the practice. It purported to allow individuals to schedule an appointment with every therapist listed. When individuals would choose a therapist and click to schedule an appointment, the site would pass the individual through to Better Health, an online therapy platform (not associated with CareDash, to our knowledge).
In conjunction with APA, VPA advocated for prohibiting CareDash from using psychologists and therapists information without permission. We are pleased to announce that CareDash is now out of business.
As you’ll see below, all of our efforts paid off—CareDash is out of business. The CareDash website is no longer active as of February 1, 2023, and the company itself, NuFit Media, Inc. (doing business as CareDash), has discontinued its business. This is a major victory in protecting psychologists’ reputations and livelihood.
Nov 14, 2022 | Blog, News
For those of you who are frustrated, confused, or otherwise not happy with Medicaid’s online provider system, this may be of interest:
Gainwell Technologies would like to invite you to join our Provider Management Module (PMM) Master Class webinar on Tuesday, November 29th, from 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM EST. This webinar is intended for all providers and staff that interact with PMM for enrollment and data maintenance in the Vermont Medicaid provider network. During this time, we will cover a multitude of topics from starting a new application, to revalidation, to navigating the Provider Portal, and everything in between.
To register for this event, please go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1867029445044870926. Participation is limited, so sign up early!
For more information on this event or future events hosted by Gainwell Technologies and the Department of Vermont Health Access, please reach out to your Provider Relations Representative at 800-925-1706.
Sep 12, 2022 | News
For dates of service on or after August 1, 2022, providers who have been certified as Preferred Providers by the Division of Substance Use Programs (DSU) will receive a rate increase for specific codes. To find out if a provider is certified by DSU, visit https://www.healthvermont.gov/alcohol-drug-abuse/how-get-help/find-treatment. To find out which codes are eligible and updated rates, visit: https://www.healthvermont.gov/sites/default/files/documents/pdf/ADAPMedicaidRateSheet.pdf.
