Dear Benchmarks' Members, 

Please see below for the latest developments and opportunities regarding the COVID-19 impact.

As always, continue to send us your experiences, ideas and suggestions to help make this situation as best as possible given the circumstances.

Take care of each other and stay safe and healthy!

The Benchmarks' Team
Fee Schedule Has Been Posted

Telephone/Telehealth Services

Note:  We received and have compiled the following information from Alliance and NCTracks and expect that most LME/MCOs will work to mirror something very similarly.  WE included the rates and fee schedule for these codes which have just been released by DHHS. (Those were not included in NCTracks or Alliance's announcement.)

Licensed clinicians and prescribers should begin using the following telephonic codes, appropriate to licensure type, to support current consumers. There is no authorization required for these services. We encourage providers to reference the 2020 CPT Manual for any specific questions regarding the use of these codes.


Alliance is ensuring that these are effective retroactive to services delivered on March 13, 2020. 

These codes will be added to contracts that currently have Outpatient and/or E&M codes.  Providers do not need to request that these codes be added. Please note that for Medicaid members there will be a limit of one non-physician code and a limit of one physician code per day. 

State-funded individuals may receive up to 12 non-physician services and up to 16 physician codes. These codes will initially be active through April 30, 2020. LME/MCOS will send out a provider communications to let you know when the codes are included in their software so that you can submit billing. We ask that you hold off submitting billing until you see this notification to reduce claim denials.

98966
Telephone assessment and management service provided by a qualified non-physician health care professional to an established patient, parent, or guardian not originating from a related assessment and management service provided within the previous seven days nor leading to an assessment and management service or procedure within the next 24 hours or soonest available appointment; 5-10 minutes of medical discussion.

98967
Telephone assessment and management service provided by a qualified non-physician health care professional to an established patient, parent, or guardian not originating from a related assessment and management service provided within the previous seven days nor leading to an assessment and management service or procedure within the next 24 hours or soonest available appointment; 11-20 minutes of medical discussion.

98968
Telephone assessment and management service provided by a qualified non-physician health care professional to an established patient, parent, or guardian not originating from a related assessment and management service provided within the previous seven days nor leading to an assessment and management service or procedure within the next 24 hours or soonest available appointment; 21-30 minutes of medical discussion.

99441
Telephone evaluation and management service provided by a physician to an established patient, parent, or guardian not originating from a related E/M service provided within the previous seven days nor leading to an E/M service or procedure within the next 24 hours or soonest available appointment; 5-10 minutes of medical discussion.

99442
Telephone evaluation and management service provided by a physician to an established patient, parent, or guardian not originating from a related E/M service provided within the previous seven days nor leading to an E/M service or procedure within the next 24 hours or soonest available appointment; 11-20 minutes of medical discussion.

99443
Telephone evaluation and management service provided by a physician to an established patient, parent, or guardian not originating from a related E/M service provided within the previous seven days nor leading to an E/M service or procedure within the next 24 hours or soonest available appointment; 21-30 minutes of medical discussion.

DSS Licensed Agencies

We received the following email from Linda Waite with the Division of Social Services, related to a webinar for technical assistance for private agencies and DSS licensed agency compliance during this time.

Please join the WEBINAR Technical Assistance for Private Agency response to COVID-19 for important  information regarding DSS licensed agency compliance during the COVID-19 public health challenge.
 
Registration details for tomorrow's GoTo Meeting webinar below:
 
 
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
 
Thank you
 
Linda L Waite
Program Administrator


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Comprehensive Article from the Chronicle of Social Change:
Coronavirus: What Child Welfare Systems Need to Think About

The coronavirus has dominated headlines across the country as the federal government and state leaders scramble to pull together broad plans of attack for testing, quarantining and treating those with severe symptoms. This week, the World Health Organization named the virus a pandemic, and leading U.S. virologist Anthony Fauci said of the spread in America, " it's going to get worse."

Child welfare agencies will not be immune to the spread of this virus. Many state agencies have started to post basic information about health and reporting suspected cases, but the collateral consequences for these systems will go far beyond that. 

The Chronicle of Social Change is soliciting information from key stakeholders in these fields - youths, parents, foster and adoptive parents, caseworkers, probation officers, judges, and others - about how the spread of coronavirus is affecting these systems' ability to function.
The goal is to help inform leaders about what is happening on the ground. Because a frequent response we have heard thus far from child welfare providers and foster parents is that there has been little in the way of guidance at this time of uncertainty.

This is presented in a linear fashion, starting with prevention work through to the "deeper" end of systems. We will continue to update this document as we collect different ideas, or thoughts about different subjects.