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If you鈥檙e a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) or Mental Health Counselor (MHC) and are considering enrolling as a Medicare provider, the feds have added a new Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) set to help with the process.

Refresher: In section 4121 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, Congress 鈥渆stablish[ed] a new Medicare benefit category for MFT and MHC services furnished by and directly billed by MFTs and MHCs,鈥� notes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in the FAQs. Under the calendar year (CY) 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) proposed rule, CMS outlined a pathway to implement the provision starting Jan. 1, 2024. The agency also aims to make 鈥渃orresponding changes to Behavioral Health Integration codes to allow MFTs and MHCs to provide integrated behavioral health care as part of primary care settings,鈥� CMS notes in a fact sheet on the proposed rule.

The FAQs offer guidance on:

• National Provider Identifier (NPI) numbers
• Necessary education and licensing for Medicare enrollment
• New MFT and MHC definitions
• Coding, billing, transaction, and payment fundamentals
• Requirements on supervision, practice-types and facilities, and telehealth
• Timelines

Review the FAQs at .