2025 Coding, Billing and Documentation Update

Presented by: Rachel A. Fernbach, Esq. 

January 7, 2025

2025 Medicare Fee Schedules 

Notice of Good Faith Estimate of Non-Deductibility of NYSPA 2024 and 2025 Dues

The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 included certain provisions denying tax deductibility for the portion of dues paid to 501(c)(6) professional organizations that is spent on influencing state or federal legislation. The law requires NYSPA to provide its members with a good-faith estimate of the portion of their dues which is attributable to lobbying and therefore, is non-deductible for federal income tax purposes.

NYSPA is proud to announce the establishment of the
NEW YORK STATE PSYCHIATRIC FOUNDATION, INC.,
a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization. 

Goals and Mission

• to increase public awareness and disseminate information to the public regarding psychiatry, the prevention and treatment of mental illness and the needs of individuals with mental illness; 
• to promote and advance learning, training and research in the field of psychiatry and mental health;
• to enhance the quality of assistance to the psychiatric patient, particularly by improving access to care, improving conditions in hospitals and mental health facilities and changing perceptions of mental illness and the process of recovery;
• to eliminate discrimination against people with mental illness, which may inhibit or prevent proper care, through public awareness and public service efforts

To Donate Today, please click here! 

If any NYSPA members are interested in serving on the Foundation Advisory Committee or have ideas or suggestions for Foundation activities and initiatives, please feel free to contact us at [email protected]. 

PRESS RELEASE: NYSPA, MSSNY & NASW-NYS Veterans Mental Health Training Initiative Continues to Enhance Capacity of Practitioners in Community to Care for Veterans & Families as NYS & U.S. Commemorate Veterans Day

Please click here to read the full Press Release

ProjectTEACH

Project TEACH is a New York State Office of Mental Health funded program that offers support to primary care, ob/gyn and psychiatric clinicians who are treating perinatal and/or pediatric patients with mental health concerns. Our team of reproductive psychiatrists and child and adolescent psychiatrists provide expert guidance through telephone consultations and CME education programs. Liaison coordinators provide linkage and referral support to outpatient programs in your community. All of our services are fast, free, friendly and easy to access no matter where you are in New York State.  For consultations call us at 1-855-227-7272 Monday-Fridays 9-5 or visit us at www.projectTEACHny.org. 

NYSPA Structural Racism Task Force Statement (1 October 2021)

In the context of the killing of George Floyd and the disproportionate burden of the COVID pandemic on Black Americans, NYSPA, like the APA and other national medical organizations, has undertaken to address structural racism – the long-standing combination of public policies, institutional practices and social forces, ideologies, and processes that generate and perpetuate inequities among races. NYSPA commits to understanding and acknowledging the history of racism in American society, including its role in sustaining inequality and discrimination. NYSPA undertakes to use a social justice lens to achieve diversity, equity and inclusion.

NYSPA we’ll take the following steps to achieve racial equity for all the residents of NY State:

• NYSPA affirms that structural racism is a public health crisis and a root cause of health inequities that shapes and influences healthcare, medical education and organized medicine, including psychiatry.
• NYSPA Supports and endorses the work of the APA Presidential Task Force to Address Structural Racism Throughout Psychiatry
• NYSPA will systematically evaluate its policies and procedures to ensure that it supports equity in all aspects of its work, and that a record of this process is visible to all members.
• NYSPA will advocate for mental health care reform, making equitable, quality mental health treatment & services a priority
• NYSPA will urge all district branches to affirm that racism is a public health crisis & that their mission statements, policies, and procedures support Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
• NYSPA will work collaboratively with all district branches to develop a strategic plan to improve recruitment, retention, promotion, support, and mentoring of historically marginalized members.
• NYSPA commits to adopting ongoing recommendations made by the Task Force to address structural racism.

NYSPA-Inspired Law Leads NYS Department of Financial Services To Recoup $3.1 Million from Insurers for Violations of Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder Parity Laws

Garden City, NY – The New York State Psychiatric Association (NYSPA) is pleased to report that the Department of Financial Services (DFS) recently recovered $3.1 million from insurance carriers doing business in New York for violations of federal and state mental health and substance use disorder parity laws. This recovery is a direct result of the Mental Health and Substance Use Parity Report Act, a state law enacted in 2018/2019, which was envisioned and championed by NYSPA.  

State vs. Federal Telemedicine Updates

In order to further assist our members, NYSPA has put together a chart outlining several legal and practice issues relating to telemedicine, both from a state and federal perspective.  To view the chart, please click here.

TELEMEDICINE UPDATE

On June 24, 2021, Governor Cuomo declared an end to the New York State COVID-19 disaster emergency.  The following is a summary of current New York laws and regulations that impact the delivery of telemedicine.    

SCAM WARNING -- INDIVIDUALS POSING AS EMPLOYEES OF NYS EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

We are writing to warn our members about a recent scam being perpetrated by individuals posing as employees of the New York State Education Department (SED).  A NYSPA member was recently contacted by individuals we believe to be part of this ongoing scam.  The call appeared to come from the general phone number of the SED Office of the Professions.  The scammers knew the name and NPI of the psychiatrist and stated that the psychiatrist was currently being investigated by the FBI.  The callers claimed that the FBI had been trying to reach the psychiatrist for the past 10 days in connection with alleged criminal activity involving controlled substances and provided a docket number and a case number, both apparently fictitious.  The callers claimed that the psychiatrist’s medical license had been suspended and, most suspiciously, instructed the psychiatrist not to tell anyone about the call.  The scammers did not leave a call back number or provide anything in writing to the psychiatrist. 

2021 Medicare Update Webinar - Part 2

Presented by: Seth Stein, Esq. & Rachel Fernbach, Esq.
Webinar Date: December 14, 2020

2021 Medicare Update Webinar - Part 1

Presented by: Seth P. Stein, Esq. & Rachel Fernbach, Esq.
Webinar Date: October 20, 2020

CME - Recognition, Management and Prevention of Veteran Suicide

Please complete the Pre-Survey below to access a link to the presentation. After viewing the presentation, a post presentation test will need to be successfully completed to be eligible for CME credit. The CME certificate will be sent to the e-mail address you have provided.  

Effective January 1, 2022 - Please read the revised Accreditation and Disclosure Statements from the Westchester Academy of Medicine. 

Accreditation Statement
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Accreditation Requirements and Policies of the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY) through the joint providership of the Westchester Academy of Medicine and The New York State Psychiatric Association. The Westchester Academy of Medicine is accredited by MSSNY to provide Continuing Medical Education for physicians.

The Westchester Academy of Medicine designates this enduring materials activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category I Credits™.  Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Disclosure Statement
Policies and standards of the Westchester Academy of Medicine, Medicals Society of the State of New York and the Accreditation for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) adhere to the ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education and require all planners, faculty and all who have control of educational content identity, disclose and mitigate all financial relationships and real or apparent conflict(s) of interest related to the content of the presentation(s) to the learners.

The planner(s) and faculty participant(s) and all who have control of this educational content do not have any financial relationships with any ineligible company whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. 

Any discussion of investigational or unlabeled uses of a product will be identified.

No commercial funding has been accepted for this activity.

To begin CME Presentation, please click the link below:

Pre-Survey Test

Please click the link below to complete the Post-Survey/Test.

Post-Survey/Test

Thank you!

This program will be available until May 31, 2023

CME - Invisible Wounds of War: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury & Combat-Related Mental Health Issues

Please complete the Pre-Survey below to access a link to the presentation. After viewing the presentation, a post presentation test will need to be successfully completed to be eligible for CME credit. The CME certificate will be sent to the e-mail address you have provided. 

Effective January 1, 2022 - Please read the revised Accreditation and Disclosure Statements from the Westchester Academy of Medicine. 

Accreditation Statement
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Accreditation Requirements and Policies of the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY) through the joint providership of the Westchester Academy of Medicine and The New York State Psychiatric Association. The Westchester Academy of Medicine is accredited by MSSNY to provide Continuing Medical Education for physicians.

The Westchester Academy of Medicine designates this enduring materials activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category I Credits™.  Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Disclosure Statement
Policies and standards of the Westchester Academy of Medicine, Medicals Society of the State of New York and the Accreditation for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) adhere to the ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education and require all planners, faculty and all who have control of educational content identity, disclose and mitigate all financial relationships and real or apparent conflict(s) of interest related to the content of the presentation(s) to the learners.

The planner(s) and faculty participant(s) and all who have control of this educational content do not have any financial relationships with any ineligible company whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. 

Any discussion of investigational or unlabeled uses of a product will be identified.

No commercial funding has been accepted for this activity.

To begin CME Presentation, please click the link below:

Pre-Survey

Please click the link below to complete the Post-Survey/Test.

Post-Survey/Test

Thank you!

This program will be available until May 31, 2026

PTSD Resource Slides

COVID-19 UPDATES

As of August 24, 2020

In July 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that it has renewed the COVID-19 public health emergency for an additional 90 days, until October 23, 2020.  As a result, the following waivers and/or relaxations will be extended at least through October 23, 2020.  

June 18, 2020 Telepsychiatry Webinar & Slides

Presented by: Rachel Fernbach, Esq.

Remote Access to Mental Health Care and Treatment During the COVID-19 Crisis

New York State has unfortunately become an epicenter of the COVID-19 public health emergency, with more confirmed positive cases than any other State in the nation.  During the COVID-19 crisis, the use of telehealth and telemedicine has become an essential tool in ensuring continued access to mental health care and treatment for impacted individuals. Both the federal government and the State of New York have taken significant efforts to ensure that individuals in need continue to receive essential health care and treatment through telehealth when in-person visits cannot take place.  On March 12, 2020, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued Executive Order No. 202.1 relaxing state requirements for the provision of telehealth in connection with the State disaster emergency, as follows: