Skip to main content
HomeCOVID 19 Information

Most of the information below was aggregated by the San Francisco Psychological Association COVID Page and published here with their permission.

Marin County Information:

WHO

CDC

About CA

From the APA

Including a link to  FAQ, resources, conducting research,  and research findings

  • Practice Resources in Response to COVID-19 (This page includes but not limited to information on Medicare, testing, phone-only billing, and small business loan.)
  • APA COVID-19 General Information

    General Resources page contains useful information with links that some of them are the same as the information SFPA members have been sharing in our forum. Practitioners and Healthcare Processionals section that includes information about telepsychological services is particularly useful.   

    The categories of the resource on the web page are:

    • General Resources
    • Practitioners and Healthcare Professionals
    • Preparedness and Safety Resources
    • Resources for Parents and Caregivers 
  • Guidelines for the Practice of Telepsychology
  • Telepsychology
  • Telehealth Training

 

 From the CPA 

  • CPA Website Coronavirus Resources Page

    There is some overwrap with the APA resource but including some CA specific information. If you are a CPA member, you can see CPA Resources on the Telepsychology page after logging in. 

  • If you are a member, sign up the CPA member listserv. CPA Information Alert that is sent via the CPA member listserv is particularly useful.
  • Information Alert: CPA Information Alert 3-12-2020 (Resource);  

CPA Information Alert 3-19-2020 (Telehealth & Insurance)
CPA Information Alert 3-20-2020 
(What Stay at Home Order Means to Psychologists) 
CPA Information Alert 3-30-2020 (New APA COVID-19 FAQ's for Practitioners)
CPA Information Alert 4-3-2020 (Medicare Now Allowing Limited Phone Services)
CPA Information Alert 4-6-2020 (Revised Medicare Telehealth Billing Guidance)

CPA Information Alert 4-9-2020 (COVID-19 Neuropsychological and Psychological Testing Resources)
CPA Information Alert 5-1-2020 (Expanded Medicare Coverage for Audio-Only Phone Services)
CPA Information Alert 5-7-2020 (California Department of Consumer Affairs Waives Face-to-Face Supervision During COVID 19)
CPA Information Alert 5-8-2020 (Sample Informed Consent and Other Resources on In-Person Services)

Association of State and Provincial Psychology Board

BOP

DCA (State of CA Department of Consumer Affairs)

National Resister

Santa Clara County Psychological Association

UCSF


Resuming in-person services

Insurance


Telehealth

Health Insurances 

Liability Insurances

License Portability

Platform

Referral

Online Testing


Volunteer & Paid Positions

US Small Business Assistance

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Employment Development Department

 

Labor & Workforce Development Agency

Other Resources

Mindfulness etc.

Apps

 

 

Parents/Children

Articles

 

Advocacy

 

FAQs:

  • Which HIPPA compliant telehealth platforms are the best for my practice?

    It appeared that many members are using either doxy.me, Zoom, WebEx or Vsee. If you use practice management software such as Simple Practice, some of them seemed to offer teletherapy options. For stand-alone telehealth platforms, please see the APA page of Comparing the Latest Telehealth Solutions and the attached Quick Guide to Teletherapy Platforms. As of 3/24/2020, US Department of Health & Human Services named platform below can be HIPPA compliant:

    §  Skype for Business / Microsoft Teams

    §  Updox

    §  VSee

    §  Zoom for Healthcare

    §  Doxy.me

    §  Google G Suite Hangouts Meet

    §  Cisco Webex Meetings / Webex Teams

    §  Amazon Chime

    §  GoTo Meeting

     

  • Telehealth Insurance Coverage

    I received a call worrying about if insurance companies accept a telehealth option during this COVID-19 pandemic. So far, many insurances’ positions are still unclear, and phone call is often considered not payable by the insurances. (This Italicized  statement appeared to be not true as of Mar 24th.) The APA and CPA are working on this issue on thenational and state level. A letter is sent on Friday to the Department of Managed Health Care and a number of other agencies/offices. The CPA joined with all other mental health associations to get this done quickly. 

     

    According to Jo from CPA, the “CPA is working with our fellow mental health providers and government regulators to allow for all services to be done via telehealth for at least 60 days (see attached letter, Telehealth 3.12.20 final.docx). We don’t have more details at the moment, but we are trying to make this happen ASAP. APA has been working on the same issue Medicare at the federal level. We will inform our members of any changes as soon as they happen”.

  • As of March 24th, many insurance covers teletherapy during COVID-19 outbreak. Please see the Telehealth section. For the CMS 1500, many insurances asked to put 02 for Place of Service (POS). CPT is the same as the normally billed for in-person visit and add 95 for the modifier. Please check/confirm with your insurance if it is not included in the list above.


During the SCCPA Townhall Meeting on March 22nd, an attendee shared:


Cigna: Place of Service 02, Modifier 95
UBH: Place of Service 02; modifier GT (you need to go online to complete a telehealth attestation)
Anthem: Place of Service 02; modifier 95 
Aetna: Place of Service 11; modifier 95
Magellan: Place of Serivce 02; modifier GT (you need to call Magellan to complete a telehealth attestation online)
MHN: you need to call them to complete a telehealth attestation, and no change in billing when i spoke with them a few days ago)

  • A teletherapy privacy tip shared (with permission) from Dr. Sheila Addison, LMFT to Dr. Keely Kolmes is that

     

    “If you have an Amazon Echo/Dot ("Alexa"), Google Home, or other voice-activated "smart device", and you're working from home, remember to mute your devices before holding telehealth sessions! Voice-activated devices are always "listening" and may send short clips of conversations to be reviewed by employees aiming to improve the natural language comprehension of their "smart assistants." If we're conducting sessions via telehealth nearby, this could include us or our clients.


(The same is true if you have your smart phone or smart watch set to respond to voice commands - you should turn this feature off or put the device in "airplane mode" while in session, and clients should as well!)”

 

  • Can psychologists keep seeing our clients in person? 

“Yes” for at least SF and Santa Clara county according to their ordinance. We are included in the “Healthcare Operations” category (SF OrdinanceSanta Clara Ordinance). However, as it is discussed in our forum, it might not be a good idea for the psychologist, especially who is in a high-risk category or who is close to such people, to see our clients in person.    

 

According to the Marin County department of public health, Essential services at this time can be found at:

Marin County Stay at Home Order
Please consult with your liability insurance provider to make sure you are covered to see clients in person and if they have any additional requirements to do so.