Telehealth for Psych Rehab

In PA, the rules and standards for the delivery telehealth services are found in the "Revised Guidelines for the Delivery of Behavioral Health Services Through Telehealth" bulletin, OMHSAS-22-02, effective July1, 2022. 

See also Attachment A and Attachment B 

PA-DHS-OMHSAS has also published a Frequently Asked Questions document dated 10/29/2021,  for clarification.

If you have additional questions, please submit them to the RA account listed in the FAQ document, or contact your DHS-OMHSAS licensing representative for further assistance.

PA-DHS-OMHSAS issued a new Frequently Asked Questions document  dated 8/16/2022 for further clarification.

On October 28, 2022, House Bill 1630 was signed into law by Governor Tom Wolf as P. L. Act 98 of 2022 and is effective immediately.  This law repealed three sections of the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) regulations at 55 Pa. Code §1153.14(1); §1223.14(2); and §5230.55(c) that were previously suspended by the Public Health Emergency.  Behavioral Health (BH) providers now may deliver and bill for BH services through audio-only telehealth for both Outpatient Psychiatric Services and Outpatient Drug and Alcohol Services that is consistent with OMHSAS bulletin OMHSAS-22-02, titled “Revised Guidelines for the Delivery of Behavioral Health Services Through Telehealth” that was issued on July 1, 2022.   Act 98 of 2022 also abrogates (repeals) the requirement for face-to-face supervision in PRS under Chapter 5230.55.