Telehealth Tuesday

May 19, 2020:  Q&A with the CASP Telehealth Task Force

Original Webinar Date: May 19, 2020

Webinar Duration: 50 min

Short Title: Telehealth Tuesday (May 19, 2020)

CEU offered: 1.0 Learning CEU

CE Instructors:

  • Joy Pollard, PhD, BCBA-D
  • Heather O'Shea, PhD, BCBA-D
  • Michele Silcox


About Telehealth Tuesdays:  CASP's Telehealth Tuesdays provide a recurring meeting time for providers to join and ask questions about telehealth service models and billing practices. During the pandemic, CASP will hold a call every Tuesday at 11:00 PT/2:00 ET via Zoom.  Providers should submit questions by the prior Friday evening. A selection of members from the CASP Telehealth Task Force, led by Dr. Joy Pollard, will then guide the general meeting based upon prior submissions, as well as questions that come in during the webinar. 

Effective May 26, 2020 these meetings will be held every 2 weeks and include a 10-15 minute demonstration of a telehealth technology platform.  Please note: These demonstrations do not imply CASP endorsement.

Questions addressed in this presentation include:

  1. Could you please share any resources you know of regarding training RBT's to provide direct instruction services via telehealth. 
  2. If you train RBT's to do line therapy via telehealth, what are common barriers, challenges, etc. Is there anything in RBT should NOT do via telehealth?
  3. Has anyone experienced issues with payment when in-person and telehealth services occur on the same day and/or same time (e.g., 97153/97155 in clinic; 97156 via telehealth)?
  4. How is everyone handling supervision in clinic-based services?
  5. Do you know of any free or affordable platforms for use with an iPad that allow for Screen Sharing while still being able to view the participant/patient? Zoom and Microsoft Teams appear not to allow for this. This is for staff that would conduct telehealth from their company iPad.
  6. How does billing differ between parent as an extension of the RBT versus parent as a proxy? When serving as a proxy, does a BCBA need to supervise/provide adaptive behavior treatment (97155) each session and if so, how can we clearly distinguish this from family adaptive behavior treatment guidance (97156)?
  7. Are there any cost-effective and HIPAA-compliant ways to use cameras instead?
  8. For session notes, do we need to document when we use telehealth?

Instructor(s)

CMRS Michele Beal

Michele Beal is a nationally respected leader in revenue cycle management with a specialized focus on ABA therapy billing, RCM workflow optimization, and regulatory compliance. With over two decades of experience in healthcare reimbursement, Michele has built a career in helping autism service providers navigate the evolving and often challenging world of payer contracting, claims management, and audit preparedness. As the founder of ABAB and MKS Consulting, two highly regarded national firms serving ABA providers, Michele established herself as a trusted expert for organizations at all stages of growth, from early-stage practices to large-scale agencies operating across multiple states and payer systems. In early 2023, she merged her firm with Rethink Behavioral Health, where she served as VP of RCM Quality until the end of 2024. She now serves as the Executive Vice President, RCM & Payer Relationships at Bierman Autism Centers, where she drives strategic oversight and operational excellence across all facets of the revenue cycle. Michele’s unique blend of clinical funding insight and compliance expertise enables her to conduct in-depth risk assessments and ensure organizations maintain integrity in their billing operations. In an environment of increasing regulatory scrutiny, she equips providers with the tools and knowledge to stay audit-ready and avoid costly missteps. Her mission is simple but powerful: to bring providers peace of mind through clarity, compliance, and confidence in their revenue systems—so they can focus on what matters most: delivering life-changing services to the families they serve.

Ph.D., BCBA-D Joy Pollard

Joy Pollard is the Co-founder and CEO of Clinical Operations at Behavior Change Institute. She earned her Ph.D. in Disability Disciplines, with a Specialization in Applied Behavior Analysis at Utah State University. Dr. Pollard holds a position as Adjunct Lecturer at Stanford University and currently serves as co-investigator on several research projects investigating telehealth service delivery of applied behavior analysis interventions for individuals with Autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. She has supervised multi-state telehealth services since 2011 in the home, community, residential, day habilitation, and school settings for individuals across the lifespan. Her research and clinical work have focused on leveraging technology to increase access, build capacity, and improve the standards of behavioral healthcare for families in rural and underserved communities. Dr. Pollard has served on both state and national committees to advise on best practices in telehealth and applied behavior analysis.

PhD, BCBA-D Heather O'Shea

Dr. Heather O’Shea has spent over 20 years working with families and children with special needs. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from California School of Professional Psychology, specializing in services with children and families in the educational, medical, and legal systems. She started her career in Applied Behavior Analysis in 2004 and enrolled in the very first BACB Course Sequence ever offered in California. She left her role as the Chief Clinical Officer at a large national organization in 2020 to join Verbal Behavior Associates (VBA) as President. She is proud to oversee an organization committed to providing evidence-based intervention and specializing in serving clients with profound needs. Her commitment to quality service delivery, ethics, training and mentorship have driven her dedication to the field. Her mission is to impact the field and leave a lasting positive impact on all of those impacted by and committed to improving the lives of those touched by autism. She is also known for creative ways to encourage community. After winning the Spirit Award (aka giant stuffed pickle) at the Autism Law Summit, she traveled the country with it, promoting autism awareness.