The federal covid-19 public health emergency (PHE) enacted in 2020 ended on May 11, 2023. Having the PHE in place offered many benefits to consumers and providers, making it easier for patients to access a variety of health care services from their own homes via video calls or audio-only phone. The end of the PHE marks the end of several pandemic era flexibilities in health care.
For psychologists treating Medicare beneficiaries, there are no immediate changes regarding coverage and reimbursement of psychological services, both in-person and via telehealth. However, psychologists should be aware that several of the flexibilities extended by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) during the PHE are temporary and scheduled to end in the next 6 to 18 months. Now that the PHE has ended, here’s what psychologists should know:
- Patients can continue receiving audio-only telehealth services for evaluation and management as well as therapy and counseling in opioid treatment programs. Audio-only services for other mental and behavioral health treatments are permanent in Medicare.
- Telehealth services can be provided in Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics.
- CMS expanded the types of providers who can furnish telehealth (e.g., physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech/language pathologists).


