COVID-19 Telehealth Resources

Dear colleagues,

We know that many of you are likely starting to use Telemental health. We would like to share resources collected from various sources. See below for information and links. Make sure to select the blue underlined words to access the links.

Please let us know if there is anything else we can provide during this time.

Warmest regards,

The F.A.S.T. Lab

Thanks to APA Division 29, http://societyforpsychotherapy.org/, for compiling a comprehensive set of resources.

Guidelines

APA’s Guidelines for the Practice of Telepsychology includes information on:
1. Competence of the psychologist
2. Standards of care
3. Informed consent
4. Confidentiality
5. Security/Transmission of data
6. Assessment
7. Interjurisdictional practic
For recommendations for three different HIPAA-conforming telehealth platform, check out this free APA online article.
The American Psychological Association has published guidance on how to prepare a practice for continuity of care including telepsychology guidance that includes:
1. Specific to COVID-19 and how to protect your patients and practice
2. COVID-19 FACT Sheet
American Telemedicine Association’s Practice Guidelines for Video-based Online Mental Health Services which includes:
1. Guidelines for individual teletherapy (therapist and one client)

Specific Helpful Links

Helpful Resources for Clients (and Therapists!) Who Are Sheltering in Place

Telehealth Resources Offering CE Credits

Zur Institute’s Certificate Program in TeleMental Health & Digital Ethics: Ethical, Legal, Clinical, Technological, and Practice Considerations
1. $156.00
2. 26 CE Credits
Avoiding a disconnect with telemental health
1. APA will make this free
2. 1 CE Credit
APA's Telepsychology Best Practice 101 Webinar Series
1. APA will make this free
2. Each Webinar is for 2 CE Credits
APA's Continuing Education (CE) Office has curated a list of telehealth courses
1. Different telehealth courses/series for therapists to learn and get CE Credit. APA will be updating this page regularly.

CBT Specific Tips and Resources

Specific Scenarios, Studies of Treatment by Telehealth, and Case Studies

COVID-19/Coronavirus Specific Resources

CDC page on COVID-19
American Psychological Association Tips & Tools on Pandemics
National Child Traumatic Stress Network Parent/Caregiver Guide to Helping Families Cope with the Coronavirus Disease 2019
Full text article, “Psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: Rapid review of the evidence”
For more COVID-19 specific information, please check the Stanford Mental Health Tech Hub

Important and Relevant Information from APA

Importantly, on Friday, March 6, 2020, Congress signed the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act. The Act gave HHS the power to dismiss any telehealth restrictions for Medicare beneficiaries. Medicare Advantage plans may now provide their enrollees with access to Medicare Part B services via telehealth in any geographic area and from a variety of places, including beneficiaries’ homes. Click here for additional information from CMS.
APA is partnering with state associations to advocate with Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial payors. We have been told that more information will be forthcoming on that effort soon.
Reimbursement:
1. On the issue of whether telephone only sessions are likely to be reimbursable, APA’s Chief of Professional Practice, Dr. Jared SKillings, said: “The answer is no for telephone sessions at this point. Our staff have thoroughly reviewed the regulations in Medicare and it does not appear that even the changes that are being proposed would allow telephone calls to be reimbursed. All of the regulatory language, including in the CPT codes themselves, include the requirement of a “face-to-face” encounter. At this point = video counts; telephone alone does not.
2. Psychologists can use video-conferencing apps on their smartphones to be reimbursed. A psychologist may decide to provide a telephone-only session, but they will not be reimbursed for it in Medicare.
3. For commercial payors, there may be a very few that would allow reimbursement for telephone-only encounters. But you must check with the payor to confirm that. Given how widespread video-conferencing is these days, we don’t expect an increase in payors who will cover telephone-only sessions.”