We have good news regarding phone-only services. The Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) has given psychologists access to new codes for audio-only phone services in Medicare.
The codes are used when a patient calls the psychologist, and the psychologist engages in some type of assessment of the patient (not formal testing), and then provides an intervention service.
These are not a 1-to-1 replacement for traditional psychotherapy by phone. APA will continue to advocate for that. In the meantime, we believe these new codes will offer some benefit for the communities you serve.
Visit the Telephone Assessment and Management Services page for more information.