Bill > S2356

This bill aims to expand psychological mental and behavioral health services for Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP beneficiaries by creating a pathway for reimbursement of services provided by advanced psychology trainees under supervision. Specifically, the bill defines two types of advanced psychology trainees: doctoral interns completing a required supervised training period before receiving their doctoral degree, and postdoctoral residents who have obtained a doctoral degree and are seeking licensure through additional supervised training. The bill mandates that these trainees can provide services under the "general supervision" of a clinical psychologist, which means the supervising psychologist provides overall direction but is not required to be physically present during service delivery. For Medicare, the bill amends existing law to allow reimbursement of services provided by these trainees when billed by their supervising psychologist, effective one year after the bill's enactment. Additionally, the bill requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a specific billing modifier code for these services and to provide guidance to states on how to incorporate advanced psychology trainee services into Medicaid and CHIP programs, including recommended legal mechanisms, billing codes, and examples of successful implementation strategies.

Budget and Finance

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2356/all-info