ATTENTION OKLAHOMA THERAPY PRACTICE OWNERS

Email edwin@onetherapynetwork.com to join our coalition as we share resources and work with our insurance providers to ensure that Oklahoma children have access to therapy during this unprecedented time. MEMBERSHIP IN THE COALITION IS FREE. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO JOIN ONE THERAPY NETWORK TO BE A PART OF THIS COALITION.

Abbreviated Notes from meeting 3/13/2020

Objectives:

• To form a coalition of Oklahoma therapy practice owners working together
• To establish a plan
• To minimize the disruption caused by the coronavirus to our patient’s continued care and to our practices

Changes to existing practice norms

• Allow parents to wait in their car with their child and the therapist goes out to get them and then takes them back to the car.
• Removing toys from waiting rooms, limiting toys in treatment rooms to easily cleaned objects.
• Wiping down toys after every therapy session.
• For school contracts - a home program that won’t have any direct therapy (ie parental consultation). Collaborate with parents on what they can be doing with the patient.

Alternative Service Delivery Options

• PLEASE NOTE THIS MESSAGE ABOUT HIPAA LAWS BEING RELAXED TEMPORARILY:
  https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/special-topics/emergency-preparedness/notification-enforcement-discretion-telehealth/index.html?fbclid=IwAR1fkk9wQDhEmjZOVL7RUu9TqJW_5JBy_dX3nmZmMzlNWUEGTKPNMkWPe2o
  
  Google Hangout Meets is looking to be the quickest and most easily adoptable option. They are offering their enterprise version with a BAA for free until 7/1. Through this platform you can share your screen, use annotation tools (with the addition of Kami), and it’s easy to get parent’s connected. You simply email them the link to the video conference. You may need to figure out a method to ensure that sessions are recorded/reported in daily notes or on their appointment to authenticate attendance? Here are some links and additional information:
• • https://support.google.com/a/users/answer/7317473
  • Prepare to use Hangout Meets https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/g-suite/helping-businesses-and-schools-stay-connected-in-response-to-coronavirus
  • The Enterprise version of GSuites is being offered at no cost until July 1st. Google Meets is HIPAA-Compliant with the BAA, Google Hangouts is not.
  • https://support.google.com/a/answer/3407074?hl=en
  • BAA (Must be in place for HIPAA-Compliance)
  • I’ve tested the setup/user interfacing process on myself and it works fine. Two monitors would be most helpful when using so you can share a separate screen from the one you are running the session off of.

• Spruce Health while currently free for 2 months, does not seem to have the interactiveness offered by other platforms. It does not have the ability to share screen,annotate, etc. It also requires parents and staff to download an app and log-in via that app. May be a harder adoption for families and staff. It’s also unclear how/if patients can be shared between multiple providers. You have to set up patient accounts so more work on the front end.
• TheraPlatform is another widely used one, but you are also paying for a EMR/patient management system so if you aren’t looking to make a major change it seems like an unnecessary additional cost.
• Blink Sessions looks fantastic. Tons of read to us resources and designed specifically for therapists. HOWEVER, you must sign a 12-month agreement if you don’t sign up for their consultation services ($1200) and at 20 users the cost is $49/month (starts at $64/month with just one user and goes down as you add users). You have to go to a website to log-in.
  
• Zoom If anyone is considering Zoom... you have to choose the Business Plan which starts at $19.99 per host (therapist) per month with a minimum of 10 hosts (so $199 per month). However, if you choose the annual plan (which sounds like some other platforms are requiring), you can get the cost per therapist down to $16.66 per month ($400/yr savings). AND I found a code "PORTFOLIOPARTNER-ZOOM" that will take off an additional $400/yr bringing the cost per therapist down to $13.33.
  
  

Teletherapy and Insurance Providers

• Questions to Ask:
  • Is Teletherapy a covered service? If so, is prior authorization required?
  • Do they require location code of 02 and/or GT modifier on the Prior Authorization or the claims?
• OHCA
  • https://www.okhca.org/providers.aspx?id=112 Here is the link announcing the new rules.
    
  • You will need to document your therapy using the "02" POS (place of service) along with the GT modifier.
• BCBS of Oklahoma
  • Kelly Godfrey and K. Kristina Egnore will reach out to BCBS of Oklahoma

• Tricare East Region -
  • https://www.humanamilitary.com/provider/education-and-resources/quick-access/policy-updates-and-alerts/covid-19-telemedicine-031320
• Cigna- Can anyone contribute to this? Email me at edwin@onetherapynetwork.com

• If there are any other insurance plans explored by anyone within the Coalition, please reach back out so that all can be informed.

Federal and State Relief and Rules

• https://www.sba.gov/disaster-a... Information on low interest loans that should be available to Oklahoma business soon.
• Income Tax Deferral I just got a clip of the administration saying that tax deferrals will be available for anyone who would normally be expected to make a tax payment on April 15th. I'll find a link and post that soon.
• President Trump has mentioned there may be some loans available for small businesses; or some payroll tax exemptions, etc. Will continue to follow and report to the group.
• Friday evening the president declared a national emergency and promised substantially more federal support. He made sweeping statements about making it easier for healthcare providers to provider telemedicine. It is unclear what, if any, impact this has on our specific situation.
• Late Friday night the US house passed a bill aimed to help families affected by the coronavirus. There are several parts to the bill but below are the items that will potentially affect practice owners:
  • establish a federal emergency paid leave benefits program to provide payments to employees taking unpaid leave due to the coronavirus outbreak,
  • expand unemployment benefits and provide grants to states for processing and paying claims,
  • require employers to provide paid sick leave to employees
  • In addition, the bill requires the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue an emergency temporary standard that requires certain employers to develop and implement a comprehensive infectious disease exposure control plan to protect health care workers.

Other Resources Available

• https://www.theinformedslpmembers.com/free-telepractice-research-reviews Our friends at The Informed SLP have put together a ton of great information about teletherapy.
• Speechpathology.com and some courses you can take specific to teletherapy; ASHA has some on their site as well. Will share the link for these. (https://www.asha.org/Practice-Portal/Professional-Issues/Telepractice/)
• AOTA has 2 CEU classes available (Kelly Godfrey)
• On FB - Telepractice group; those who have been doing for years are giving some good advice. Stacy Kaut will add to chat what she found. (https://www.facebook.com/events/2881936075260599/)
• (https://www.privatepracticeslp.com/blog/how-to-become-teletherapist?fbclid=IwAR3crMYLtpo4Q3a6KV6fvZWU2P6nUGKsmFAR_PcacZ_Mv4qJuzgLF0PwjTM)

Decisions

• Form a coalition so we can refer to ourselves as a group when we’re trying to get movement. Name: Coalition of Oklahoma Therapy Practices.
• Choose point of contact for billing questions: Edwin Brown (edwin@onetherapynetwork.com, cell: 601-624-1237)
• Choose point of contact for clinical questions: Kelly Hawkins (kelly@therapitas.com)
• Choose point of contact for government liaison: Emily Hathaway (emily@speechpathway.net)

Action Items

• Call local representatives as a constituent of serving kids in their area re OHCA movement (Emily Hathaway / Ken Hathaway). Encourage ALL to do this!!
  • http://www.oklegislature.gov/FindMyLegislature.aspx Use this tool to find the elected legislator for your personal address and your practice address. You are both a citizen and a business owner.
  • Tell them "I need your help in getting OHCA to meet with The Coalition of Oklahoma Therapy Practices to discuss our proposal to easily allow therapy practices to continue serving the children of Oklahoma during this unprecedented time. Their phone number is 601-624-1237."
  • Consider having your patients, staff, and any one else you can think of to call their legislator as well.
    
• Pam Mayer (Colorado) suggested we reach out to our STAR (ASHA representative in OK working on their behalf). Emily Hathaway will run point for this contact. Pam will send her the Oklahoma contact’s name.
  
• Sarah SVA will reach out to the insurance commissioner.

Members of the Coalition

(if you want to join the coalition, please email edwin@onetherapynetwork.com)

Sarah VanAlstine: OKOTA (Oklahoma Occupational Therapy Association)

Edwin Brown: One Therapy Network

Kelly Hawkins: Therapitas

Monica Benear: Innovative Therapy

Maggie Vincent: Communication Station

Lorraine Auchter: Sensational Kids

Paula Lewis and Liz Hylton: Quest Pediatric Therapies

Emily Hathaway: Speech Pathway

Diane Holland: Holland Pediatric Therapy

Jessie Carr: Therapitas Tulsa

Kelly Godfrey: Therapy 4 Kids

Shannon Roberson: Total Poss-Abilities

Nicole Stull & Liz Bomhoff: Today's Therapy Solutions

Greta Worthington and Aileen Sadler: Gore Therapy Center

Stacey Taylor: Taylor'd Therapy Services

Christa Collins: OKC Speech LLC

Kristina Egnor: Therapy Specialists

Farinam Pletka: Therapitas

Abby O'Dell: Advanced Therapy Solutions

Dianna Persun: Can Do Kids Therapy

Laura Rix Robertson: Bartlesville Hope Pediatric Therapy

Colette Ellis, 29th Street Therapy Center

Cynthia Puckett, Wonderfully Made Therapy

Stephanie Valentine: Therapy Link Solutions

Jodi Jennings: Therafunction

Sue Marolf: Pathways Therapy Center

Karin Cantrell: HTR Pediatrics

Katie Aday: Aday of Speech Therapy

Karen Sturges: West Therapy

Samantha Prater: Empowering Life Therapy

Kassie Peck: Greenhouse Pediatric Therapy

Shelly Geddes: Pediatric Communication Solutions, Inc

Kris Siegenthaler: Impact Rehab and Wellness

Delana Turnipseed: Elite Therapy

Larry and Jessica Sang: Imagine Pediatric

Becky Payne: The SPOT for Kids

Kim Knapp and Karin Cantrell: HTR Pediatrics

Karlie Collins: Chris King Counseling

Patty Daniel: Onward and Upward

Jennifer Pennington and Kelly Davis: Effective Communication LLC

Tabetha Mathiesen: Wholistic Therapy

Barbara Moreira: Ready Set Go Children's Therapy Center

Tara Kirby: Wonderfully Made Therapy