On July 13, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), which determines the details of counselor and MFT enrollment in Medicare.

In order to provide additional clarity on the proposed fee schedule, NBCC and the Medicare Mental Health Workforce Coalition (MMHWC) are hosting a Medicare 401 webinar, “Assessing the Essential Features of the 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Rule and Implications for Counselors and MFTs” on Aug. 17 at noon EDT to answer your questions regarding the details of reimbursement for Medicare, as well as how to enroll.

This webinar will help you understand the proposed rule for the MPFS as expert panelists answer your questions about the rule and the addition of counselors and MFTs to Medicare. You may submit your questions about the MPFS and enrollment process for our panelists to address via this form by Aug. 8 at 5 pm EDT. Prior to the webinar date, we will select the most common questions for our panel to answer.

One hour of continuing education credit is available for attendance of the live event.

We welcome our returning presenter Jeanne Vance with the law firm of Weintraub Tobin, as well as panelists Doug Jacobs, Chief Transformation Officer at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; and Jolie Long, Legislative Research Manager for NBCC.

After this webinar, attendees will be able to:

• describe the annual Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, which is the main federal policy instrument that provides guidance to Medicare health care and mental health providers on payment and enrollment policies. 
• analyze the key provisions contained in the proposed 2024 Physician Fee Schedule and implications for counselors and MFTs.
• identify when, how, where, and who can enroll in the Medicare program, and additional resources CMS has in place to accommodate providers who wish to enroll. 
• interpret the proposed mental health codes that counselors and MFTs will use to bill Medicare starting in 2024, and payment rates for those services and related guidance.
• identify opportunities for counselors and MFTs to participate and receive reimbursement in various settings (e.g., community mental health centers, community health clinics, rural health clinics, skilled nursing facilities, hospices).
• outline next steps in the implementation of Medicare Part B coverage of counselors and MFTs and guidance on platforms to facilitate enrollment in the Medicare program.

You can register for this free webinar at https://bit.ly/Medicare401Registration.

Fill out the MPFS questionnaire at https://www.research.net/r/Medicare401questionnaire.

Did you miss our previous webinars? You can watch the recorded sessions here.

Meet Our Presenter and Panelists

Jeanne L. Vance, JD

Jeanne Vance is a health care transactions and regulatory attorney who is a partner with the Sacramento-based law firm of Weintraub Tobin. Vance has expertise in Medicare and Medicaid payment and enrollment matters, health care operations, and health care mergers. She provides outside counsel regulatory support to implement large-scale corporate reorganizations, name and branding changes, and change of control transactions for California-based health care providers. Vance advises health care professional groups and associations regarding health care licensing and payment requirements for compliant business structures, and on ongoing health care compliance obligations as a condition of participating in government payment programs. She is currently chair of the Regulation, Accreditation, and Payment Practice Group of the American Health Law Association (AHLA) and was previously the president of the Sacramento Health Law Committee and vice chair of the California State Bar Health Law Committee. Vance received her law degree from the University of California Law, San Francisco, and her undergraduate degree from Mills College.

Doug Jacobs

Doug Jacobs is the chief transformation officer in the Center for Medicare at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). In this role, he helps to lead center-wide efforts to move the health care system toward value-based care, advance health equity, and promote delivery system transformation. Prior to this role, he was the chief medical officer and first chief innovation officer for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS), where he helped oversee the state’s Medicaid program. Dr. Jacobs is a Board Certified Internal Medicine Physician and continued seeing patients throughout the pandemic

Jolie Long, MS, EdS, NCC, MAC, LCMHC

Jolie Long is the Legislative Research Manager in the Government and Legislative Affairs Department for NBCC. She works to develop and implement policy initiatives in the state and federal legislative arena to promote professional excellence and aims to strengthen the regulatory framework of the profession, expand governmental recognition of counselors, and increase access to high-quality counseling services. Long analyzes active legislation and policy and coordinates advocacy, lobbying and grassroots efforts on behalf of counselors and the profession.

Medicare Mental Health Workforce Coalition Members

American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, American Counseling Association, American Mental Health Counselors Association, Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness, California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, Centerstone, Center for Medicare Advocacy, Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, National Association for Rural Mental Health, National Association of Community Health Centers, National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors, National Board for Certified Counselors, National Council for Mental Wellbeing, National Council on Aging, Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies, and The Jewish Federations of North America