The Omnibus Federal Spending bill signed into law by President Biden provides funding for the federal government until September 30, 2022.
The law also includes a 151 day (~5 month) extension of Medicare coverage for real-time, face-to-face services provided by physical therapists and physical therapist assistants via telehealth after the Public Health Emergency (PHE) expires. Without this legislation, the ability for private practice PTs and PTAs to provide services via telehealth would have been cut off when the PHE expires.
The current expiration date of the PHE is April 16. However, the administration has promised a 60-day "heads up" if it doesn’t plan to renew the PHE; therefore, it is anticipated that the PHE will be renewed in April for another 90 days and then end in mid-July. Should the PHE terminate this July, the 151 days extension will expire in November. This would provide Congress the opportunity to address the issue after the General Election.
The PPS COVID-19 State of Affairs document is updated regularly, with the newest information highlighted in red, to help you keep abreast of the most recent legislative and regulatory updates.
