CMS Updates Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder Telehealth Coverage Guidance

July 8, 2025

CMS Updates Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder Telehealth Coverage Guidance

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a revised version of its Medicare & Mental Health Coverage booklet, incorporating several important updates related to telehealth and digital mental health services.

Notable changes include notating telehealth coverage for:

  • Caregiver training,
  • Depression screening, and
  • Tobacco cessation counseling.

In addition, CMS added new HCPCS/CPT codes eligible for telehealth and outlined coverage criteria for digital mental health treatment (DHMT) devices when used “incident to” behavioral health services. Due to the possibility that the current Medicare telehealth waivers are not extended or changed, the guidance confirms that starting October 1, 2025, Medicare will require:

  • An in-person visit within six months before initiating telehealth-based mental health services, and
    • Follow-up in-person visits every 12 months.
      • For rural health clinics (RHCs) and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), this requirement is delayed until January 1, 2026, for services delivered to patients in their homes.

CMS does not mention in the document that current permanent federal law still allows Medicare mental health services to be delivered without an in-person visit if the patient is located at an eligible facility in a geographically rural area or a rural health professional shortage area. Providers can check geographic eligibility using HRSA’s telehealth tool.

In-person visit exemptions also remain in place for patients with substance use disorder and co-occurring mental health conditions.

Finally, an exception to the subsequent 12 month in-person requirement described in the 2022 Final Physician Fee Schedule is also not explicitly addressed by CMS in the booklet-specifically that the requirement can be waived if the patient and practitioner agree that the risks and burdens associated with an in-person service outweigh the benefits of an in person visit.

Click Here to Access Medicare & Mental Coverage booklet

Click Here to Use HRSA’s Telehealth Tool

Click Here to View 2022 Final Physician Fee Schedule

MRHA Webinar: Health Care Workforce Project, July 10

July 8, 2025

MRHA Webinar: Health Care Workforce Project, July 10

Join the Missouri Rural Health Association (MRHA) for an insightful session on the Missouri Health Care Workforce Project (MHCWP), an initiative designed to provide critical workforce analysis to support policymakers, healthcare professionals, and educators in addressing Missouri’s healthcare workforce needs.

Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how workforce data informs policy decisions, impacts healthcare access, and supports strategic planning across Missouri. The session will also cover federal and state trends in workforce analysis and integration, equipping participants with actionable insights to navigate and influence healthcare workforce development.

Who Should Attend:

  • Policymakers,
  • Practitioners, healthcare, and public health professionals
  • Researchers,
  • State government,
  • Local public health agencies,
  • Educators,
  • Students,
  • Educational institutions,
  • Health systems,
  • Workforce development professionals,
  • Academia,
  • Public and private communities,
  • Interest groups,
  • Community partners,
  • State and local agents,
  • Elected officials

Cost: Free

When: Thursday, July 10, 12:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Survey Results: AI – Burnout Fix or Budget Risk? What Health System Leaders are Really Seeing

July 8, 2025

Survey Results: AI – Burnout Fix or Budget Risk? What Health System Leaders are Really Seeing

Generative AI isn’t on the horizon – it’s already here, influencing decisions form the C-suite to the bedside.

A new Becker’s Healthcare and Microsoft survey of 150 healthcare leaders reveals how executives are deploying AI across strategy, documentation and clinical operations – and what’s coming next.

The insights reflect real-world priorities, from reducing burnout to enhancing diagnostic precision, and what separates organizations driving results from those falling behind.

In the Report:

  • Why 42% of health systems plan to boost generative AI investments,
  • How AI-driven documentation is reducing burnout and improving care accuracy, and
  • What top clinical leaders say about ROI, integration and the future of ambient.

Click Here to access Report

Whitepaper: The Truth About AI Coding: Why Faster Doesn’t Mean Better

July 8, 2025

Whitepaper: The Truth About AI Coding: Why Faster Doesn’t Mean Better

Healthcare organizations are under pressure to automate – but automation without outcomes is just overhead. This guide takes a hard look at where AI coding falls short and what revenue cycle leaders need to do differently to actually move the needle.

Built for multi-specialty and high-complexity groups, the guide outlines why AI tools alone can’t resolve documentation gaps, shifting payer logic or specialty-specific denials – and what strategies are working now to drive real results.

In the Whitepaper

  • Why early AI adopters saw speed gains but not revenue gains,
  • How to assess if your organization needs AI coding or a stronger foundation, and
  • What a revenue-driving AI strategy actually looks like for complex specialties.

Click Here to Download Whitepaper

Webinar: Achieving Departmental Excellence Through a Modernized Physician Scheduling Strategy, August 27

July 8, 2025

Webinar: Achieving Departmental Excellence Through a Modernized Physician Scheduling Strategy, August 27

Optimizing physician time and aligning with patient demand helps your practice run smoothly and can even positively impact patients’ access to care. By modernizing provider schedule management, you can achieve greater administrative efficiency with fewer errors as well as gain increased visibility and control over physician productivity and performance. Ensuring fair and equitable schedules goes a long way toward improving physician satisfaction and retention.

On August 27, Becker’s Healthcare will host a live webinar revealing how elevating your scheduling ecosystem can protect your most valuable resource – your physicians.

Key Takeaways will include:

  • How the physician schedule impacts operational efficiency, physician productivity,
  • How automation of schedule creation can strengthen your physician workforce, and
  • How schedule data can be used to improve physician utilization.

Cost: Free

When: Thursday, August 27, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Whitepaper: How Health Systems Can Assess the Safety of Clinical AI Tools

July 8, 2025

Whitepaper: How Health Systems Can Assess the Safety of Clinical AI Tools

As clinical AI tools enter hospitals and decision support systems, few come with clear safety guardrails. Without rigorous testing, they risk spreading misinformation or introducing avoidable clinical harm.

A recent large-scale review evaluated more than 400 AI-generated clinical responses from one tool across five dimensions – including helpfulness, correctness and potential harm – using a reproducible, clinician-led framework.

Findings show that the vast majority of responses were rated accurate by independent reviewers – licensed physicians and pharmacists – with only a small portion presenting potential clinical risk.

Inside the whitepaper:

  • How to measure AI output using reproducible evaluation methods,
  • Lessons from a real-world model that helps mitigate risks of hallucinations and inaccuracy, and
  • Best practices for assessing AI tools used in clinical decision support.

Click Here to download the whitepaper

Webinar: Reaching High-Risk Patient at Home, July 31

July 7, 2025

Webinar: Reaching High-Risk Patient at Home, July 31

Home health care models are here to stay – but only if patients stay engaged, safe and connected. That’s where scalable, HIPAA-compliant technology makes the difference.

In this session, commercial and technology leaders reveal how to transform care delivery at home. From real-time data capture to proactive outreach, they’ll share how to drive sustained engagement – even in the hardest-to-reach populations.

You Will Learn

  • How to support outreach ton high-risk, high-cost patients,
  • The tech stack powering real-time alerts, remote monitoring and user-friendly devices, and
  • Design principles for scalable, secure, and simple at-home care delivery.

Cost: Free

When: Thursday, July 31, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

MHA Webinar: Credentialing Considerations for Health Care Executives, August 12

July 7, 2025

MHA Webinar: Credentialing Considerations for Health Care Executives, August 12

Credentialing is important for health care organizations because it ensures that health care providers meet quality standards and protect patients. Credentialing also he4lps to reduce malpractice risks.

In a health care setting, everyone involved in the process of verifying and approving providers to practice in the facility needs to in the facility needs to understand t6heir role. This includes the medical staff office, health care providers, risk managers, department leaders, and ultimately, the governing board.

Ensuring only qualified providers are allowed to practice within the hospital helps protect patients from potential harm and prevent the facility from negligent credentialing claims.

Cost: No charge for MHA Members

When: Tuesday, August 12, 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Click Here to Register

Webinar: Feeling Stuck on AI See How Top Healthcare Marketers are Moving Forward, On-Demand

July 7, 2025

Webinar: Feeling Stuck on AI See How Top Healthcare Marketers are Moving Forward, On-Demand

Half of marketers say they feel overwhelmed by AI. And for healthcare marketing teams, the pressure is higher – compliance, brand safety and accuracy concerns can bring momentum to a halt. But while others hesitate, forward-looking health systems are already using AI to accelerate strategy and execution.

In this on-demand webinar, a healthcare digital marketing leader shares practical frameworks and real-world use cases for using AI across your marketing workflow – from campaign planning to reporting and content creation.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Where AI can add value today: Use cases across creative, analytics and planning,
  • Prompt examples you can use right away, and
  • How to stay compliant without slowing innovation.

Cost: free

When: On-Demand, watch at your convenience

Webinar: Mastering Medicare Advantage: How to Clean up Claims and Get Paid Faster, On-Demand

July 7, 2025

Webinar: Mastering Medicare Advantage: How to Clean up Claims and Get Paid Faster, On-Demand

Nearly two-thirds of healthcare organizations say Medicare Advantage is harder to manage than other plans – and for good reason. Restrictive policies, opaque coverage rules and rising prior authorization demands are driving up denials and workforce inefficiencies.

For ASCs, every reworked claim and delayed payment hits harder – especially with lean staff and tight margins.

This 30-minute webinar is your playbook to taking back control. Get clear, proven strategies to clean up MA claims, reduce administrative burden and recover revenue that’s slipping through the cracks

Learn How To:

  • Submit cleaner claims to improve MA payment accuracy,
  • Reduce denials caused by restrictive MA coverage rules, and
  • Minimize shadow claim confusion and prior auth delays.

Cost: Free

When: On-demand, watch at your convenience

Click Here to Watch Webinar