Medicare Proposes Easing Supervision Requirements For ‘Incident To’ Behavioral Health Services

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing to address a shortage of psychiatrists and psychologists by easing Medicare supervision requirements for “incident to” services provided by licensed professional counselors (LPCs) and marriage and licensed family therapists (LMFTs). CMS believes that the proposed change will expand access to behavioral health services. In a further effort to expand access to behavioral health care, Medicare will create a new billing code be used when clinical psychologists (CPs) and licensed clinical social workers (CSWs) provide integrated behavioral health services as part of a beneficiary’s primary care team.

The proposal related . . .