COVID Update

First off we want to send out a THANK YOU to all the social workers on the front lines of this outbreak. We will get through this as a community

COVID-19 and Utah Social Work:

Telehealth Rules and Recommendations, Navigating CEU’s, Licensing Exam Information, NASW-UT Upcoming Events and More

Like you, we are monitoring the current coronavirus (COVID-19)

outbreak very closely. We care deeply about the health and well-being of our members and the clients and communities you serve. We know many of you have questions about CEU’ s, telehealth, NASW-UT upcoming events, including our licensing prep course on March 28th, and lunch and learns, and the status of any licensing exams.

We are updating this document regularly. Please visit www.utnasw.org for updates. Look for them under ANNOUNCEMENTS.

CEU’S

Live webinars taking IN REAL TIME are considered a live, category 1 CEU training. If they are live (even if they take place via webinar) they will not count toward your 15 hour limit
As of March 25th, DOPL has waived in-person CEU requirements for professionals needing to renew between now and October 1, 2020
You can convert your training to a virtual format click here for more information from Higher Logic
Through April 30th, NASW-UT will waive the $15 fee to approve continuing education for online or home study. Regular application fees still apply. If you want a previously approved application considered for online/home study approval, please email us the following: 1) title of the workshop, 2) sponsor, 3) contact person and a copy of the assessment tool used to evaluate content mastery.
If you are applying for original approval, please follow the instructions on the application.
Again, you do not need to pay the additional $15 online/homestudy fee.
IF YOU ARE APPLYING FOR CEU APPROVAL, we are accepting email submissions while we are working remotely - if you send in a new application make sure the subject line reads “CEU Application”

STATUS OF NASW-UT UPCOMING EVENTS

The Utah County Lunch and Learn scheduled for March 18th and the St. George branch meeting for April have both been cancelled.
The March 28th licensing prep course will be held via a Zoom format, however it may be postponed one week. We are surveying participants.
If you are planning a workshop, and you want to convert it to a virtual format instead of cancelling or postponing, please click here
If you have an approved NASW workshop, please email us if you want to convert the training to an online or webinar format. We will waive the additional fee.

ASWB AND SOCIAL WORK LICENSING EXAMS

Unfortunately, ASWB has temporarily suspended social work licensing exams . Due to increasing concern for the health and safety of our candidates and our employees and in response to government guidance and difficulty procuring the critical hygienic products that keep our test centers safe, we are temporarily closing our U.S.- and Canada-based testing centers starting Tuesday, March 17.

Candidates can reschedule their exams for appointments starting April 16 and beyond if conditions allow. For information on global regions outside the U.S. and Canada. ASWB has recently released a statement to the social work community that can be found here

For updates and additional information from the testing center, please click here.

For updates from ASWB, please click here

For addi tional questions, please reach out to VUE Peterson Testing Centers or ASWB. We apologize, but NASW-UT is unable to provide further information regarding this issue.

UPCOMING WEBINARS FOR YOU

Thursday, April 9, 2020 at 2:00 PM EDT Register here

Coping with the Financial Reality of COVID-19

Adapting to the constantly changing instructions for protecting ourselves from COVID-19 (coronavirus) is difficult enough but equally problematic are the financial challenges accompanying it. The pressure created from lack of income, jobs, health insurance, ineligibility for unemployment benefits, increased reliance on credit cards, etc., will wreak havoc on the lives of Americans for the duration of the pandemic and beyond. By the time the virus is under control, millions of Americans may find they escaped the virus but not the financial trauma of the debt and lost income incurred from unanticipated expenses resulting from it. Register and attend this unique training to learn how to motivate, guide and support clients in coping with their current COVID-19 financial stress so they may be able to minimize more dire long-term consequences.

Topics

How to identify and manage spending triggers.
Developing a Financial Stress Reduction Practice.
Three major actions clients need to avoid.
Using creative Financial Wellness Approaches.
The role of financial self-care in reducing financial anxiety.
What to know about credit card hardship and forbearance

TELETHERAPY RULES AND GUIDELINES

the COVID-19 public health emergency, DOPL has stated that Utah providers may adhere to the requirements and recommendations set forth by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services: Telehealth in a Public Health Emergency

Note: This guidance is not intended to alter the applicable standard of practice for any mental health profession. All providers shall be held to the same standards of practice, including maintaining patient confidentiality and recordkeeping, that would apply to the provision of the same services in an in-person setting.

Per Utah’s regulatory board, regulations require mental health professionals to be licensed in the state where the client is physically located at the time of service. However, Utah (and many other states) allow exemptions in the event of a national, state, or local emergency, a public health emergency as defined in Section 26-23b-102, or a declaration by the president of the United States. More information about Utah’s exemptions to licensure.

Medicare recently updated and eased requirements for telehealth, click here for updates to Medicaid and Medicare.

In summary:

Social Workers can provide teletherapy to beneficiaries if the client is in their home. They can also see new or existing patients.
Telephone/audio-only does not appear to be reimbursable; CSWs must use a video-conferencing platform.
HIPAA requirements are eased.

As for teletherapy, we are working hard to ensure state-mandated insurance coverage for telehealth/teletherapy AND standardized coding.

Clients should contact their insurer to verify that they are eligible for telemental health services

Below, we will list insurance policy updates as we receive them:

Optum/United Health Care Telehealth Policy - Optum Behavioral Health will reimburse telehealth services that use standard CPT codes and a GT modifier or a Place of Service of 02 for both video-enabled virtual visits and telephonic sessions to indicate the visit was conducted remotely.
Medicare/Medicaid Telehealth Policy and FAQ’s
Most insurance companies require the code for the session, a modifier that indicates teletherapy and the site descriptor.
Here are the common codes: session code (90837) modifier (95) and site (02). There continues to be confusion regarding the modifier—NASW is working on this and reaching out to individual insurers.
However, at this point the following insurances are accepting the above billing codes as correct:
Medicare
DMBA
Tricare
Regence Blue Cross
EMI
Cigna - this also includes coverage of audio-only services (will be reassessed May 31)

Here is additional information about telehealth parity

(a special thank you to Utah social worker and NASW member, Jaime Bacon for helping us construct this information)

REMOTE SUPERVISION

Pursuant to DOPL rules, supervision CAN be conducted via real-time electronic means. When providing services remotely, licensees must protect the security of electronic, confidential data and information. In the past, special permission was required.

UTAH INSURANCE COVERAGE and COVID-19

The Utah Insurance Department has released a bulletin to notify all health insurers, including those who write short-term limited-duration policies regarding coverage for COVID-19 testing and treatment that can be found here

HIPAA COMPLIANT TELEMENTAL HEALTH PLATFORMS

If you choose to provide services remotely, you need to choose a HIPAA-compliant platform such as:

doxy.me (free for basic services)
VSee (free)
SimplePractice
Higher Logic: Converting your in-person training to a Virtual format
NASW Guidelines for Teletherapy

Prior to setting up teletherapy with a client please verify the following with your clients:

1) They have an electronic device with video capacity. Most people use a laptop or desktop computer. Cell phones can be used if nothing else is available, but the connection on a cell phone is suboptimal

2) They have their cell phones charged and close by in case there is a technical problem so if the connection is dropped we can continue via the phone if needed.

Please note:

If using teletherapy, each insurance plan requires that you go to their website and attest to having an appropriate platform.

Billing is generally done in the same way as in-person sessions, with some plans requiring a modifier of GT. Place of service code is always 02.

ESSENTIAL BENEFITS FOR COVID TESTING

Because of the Travel Health Alert issued by the CDC on March 4, we recommend rescheduling or conducting telehealth/teletherapy sessions, if possible, for clients who have travelled to countries with a Level 3 Alert (China, South Korea, Iran, and Italy) within the past 14 days.

Although no vaccine for COVID-19 currently exists, many Utah insurers are waiving co-pays , referral requirements and/or other costs of coronavirus testing, counseling, and treatment.

Here is the most updated information on Medicare and Essential Health Benefits for COVID-19 testing, etc. Medicarecovid is also an excellent resource.

DISEASE TRANSMISSION AND TREATMENT

COVID-19 is generally spread through respiratory secretions (droplets from coughs and sneezes) of an infected person to another person.
Stay home if you have influenza-like symptoms, including fever, cough, and shortness of breath or if you’ve travelled to countries with a CDC Level 3
Avoid touching your face (nose, mouth, and eyes)
Wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds (upgrade your handwashing by singing or humming the chorus to one of these popular songs) or use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

National NASW has put out a practice alert for social workers concerned about the spread of COVID-19. Please take a moment to review this document. They have also added a page about 8 ethical considerations for social workers in a time of COVID-19 that can be found here

CSWE has a page they are updating regularly on social work education in the country that can be found here

ASWB, CSWE, and NASW has released a collective statement to the social work community that can be found here

The Utah Department of Public Health (UDH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) should be your go-to resources to remain updated about the novel coronavirus outbreak:

UDH: https://health.utah.gov/

CDC: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/

Live long and prosper,

with love from your vigilant NASW team

Emily Bleyl, LCSW, ACSW & Madison Norris, MSW, CSW

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