NCART Calls for Permanent Telehealth Option
A new position paper from the organization calls on Congress to ‘make permanent’ the allowances CMS implemented for telehealth evals for CRT during COVID-19.
The National Coalition for Assistive and Rehab Technology (NCART) Legislative Committee has published an updated telehealth position paper urging Congress to “make permanent” the current telehealth flexibilities for individuals with disabilities that were implemented due to COVID-19.
Download the position paper as a PDF by clicking here.
As one of the many rules suspensions CMS made to ensure care for Medicare beneficiaries during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE), CMS allowed occupational and physical therapists to use telehealth to conduct CRT seating and mobility evaluations with Medicare beneficiaries. However, the allowances are set to expire when the PHE ends.
“The temporary CRT telehealth option must be made permanent so that Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities can continue to have remote access to CRT evaluations, fittings, and training when an in-person visit is not possible due to medical risks, transportation barriers, lack of qualified local clinicians, and other factors,” a statement from NCART read. “Congress must take legislative action to make sure that these CRT telehealth services continue to be available after the expiration of the Public Health Emergency (PHE).”
NCART called on CRT stakeholders to go to www.protectmymobility.org to contact their lawmakers to ensure they understand the need to protect access to CRT by supporting services available through telehealth.