Changes to the Payment Policies for Reciprocal Billing Arrangements and Fee-For-Time Compensation Arrangements (formerly referred to as Locum Tenens Arrangements)

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is amending the terminology it uses to describe locum tenens arrangements. Moving forward, CMS will describe these agreements as “Fee-For-Time Compensation Arrangements”.  The reason for the terminology change is for consistent identification of the rule within the published law in Section 16006 of the 21st Century Cures Act.

Additionally, in a narrow expansion of the fee-for-time compensation arrangements billing rules, CMS will permit physical therapists (PTs) who practice in medically under-served or rural areas to engage a substitute PT to perform outpatient therapy services and continue billing under the first PT if certain conditions are met. This change will take effect on June 13, 2017. Review this CMS MLN Matters article for more information.