The telehealth finish line for therapy professionals has been pushed….. AGAIN!
What was set to expire on September 30th, 2025 will now expire January 30th, 2026.
We are now headed toward the 6-year anniversary of the “temporary approved provider status” for therapy professionals. Yes, “temporary approval” was the original intent, but here we are 6 years later….. There are new grad professionals who have never known the therapy world without telehealth, and because of that, it is worth providing the backstory of how telehealth and therapy came to be. The backstory will also help clear up telehealth confusion!
What allowed the Therapy telehealth extension to be pushed from September 30, 2025 to January 30, 2026?
The H.R. 5371, “Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026” was signed into law on 11/12/25. The intention of the Act was to fund the government (end the shutdown), and included language that extended the telehealth “flexibilities” another 4 months.
Section 6208, “Extension of Certain Telehealth Flexibilities,” in the recently signed law shows the date extension.
Section (b) that applies specifically to therapy professionals is highlighted below, entitled “Expanding Practitioners Eligible to Furnish Telehealth Services.”
What are “telehealth flexibilities?”
“Telehealth flexibilities” refer to the temporary rules put in place for the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) in 2020. The government waived some existing telehealth rules and added additional temporary rules.
For example, telehealth could only be provided in certain rural locations by a select list of providers. The “flexibilities” put in place during COVID allowed for telehealth to occur in more locations with an expanded list of those who could provide it.
Who Were The Original Telehealth Approved Providers?
The Social Security Act (SSA) is where the Medicare and Medicaid foundational regulations are located. Telehealth is defined here. This is the list of approved practitioners currently listed in the SSA as “approved telehealth providers” under Medicare/Medicaid:
Therapy professionals are not on the list!
[Section 1395u(b)(18)(C)]
How Did Therapy Get Added?
The Social Security Act, Section 1834(m)(4)(E) was originally amended for the PHE in 2020 as noted below to add therapy professionals to the above list of practitioners.
Each telehealth extension since the start of the PHE over 5 years ago has referenced this “temporary” definition of Practitioner below.
(E) Practitioner
The term “practitioner” has the meaning given that term in Section 1395u(b)(18)(C) of this title and, in the case that the emergency period described in section 1320b-5(g)(1)(B) of this title ends before December 31, 2024, for the period beginning on the first day after the end of such emergency period and ending on September 30, 2025, shall include a qualified occupational therapist (as such term is used in section 1395x(g) of this title), a qualified physical therapist (as such term is used in section 1395x(p) of this title), a qualified speech-language pathologist (as defined in section 1395x(II)(4)(A) of this title), and a qualified audiologist (as defined in section 1395x(II)(4)(B) of this title).
The Section above continues to override the Social Security Act original list of approved telehealth practitioners, adding PT, OT and Speech. The PHE and every telehealth extension since 2020, added therapy professionals to the original list….on a temporary basis.
When the extension expires, the SSA original telehealth language (without therapy) will resume.
The only ways for therapy to continue to provide reimbursable telehealth to Medicare beneficiaries after January 30th is: (1) additional legislation that continues to extend “telehealth flexibilities” from 2020; or (2) new law amending the SSA by adding therapy professionals to the “approved provider” list permanently.
For now, SNF therapy professionals can Telehealth on……. with a new finish line of January 30th!
With or without therapy, telehealth will continue after January 30th, 2026…. though SNF therapy professionals will need to wait and see if they are allowed to join the original cast.
Resources
Check out HR 5371 for yourself. HR 5371
For the telehealth history timeline for therapists, this is a good read.
As always, if you have any questions about the information or how it will impact you, send them to us here: Just Ask Q&A
In Your Corner,
Dolores Montero, PT, DPT, RAC-CT, RAC-CTA
SNF Therapy & MDS Compliance Team
MonteroTherapyServices.com