clinical social work association

The Aware Advocate

An occasional newsletter from CSWA on topics that are relevant to clinical social work practice

August, 2021

Laura Groshong, LICSW, Director or Policy and Practice

Though we are in the dog days of summer, there are many things going on that affect our clinical practices.  CSWA is pleased to offer information on the following four topics that are currently affecting us: (1) ways to determine what the COVID risk is in your area are by county; (2) a template for writing letters that confirm medical necessity when insurers question the validity of our treatment; (3) an update on the Physician Fee Schedule which will affect our reimbursement in 2022; and a (4) a member survey to determine where people stand on the decision to return to in-office practice and additional topics to gauge ways to better support members.

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COVID Issues

The rise in COVID-19 cases due to the new Delta variant and others is cause for concern.  But in this case, as in much of the pandemic, all concerns are not created equal.  To understand the risk we face on the personal and professional level, it is necessary to get information that is specific to our location.  The CDC has just created a new data base that provides the current level of infection for every county in the country.  The COVID Data Tracker is updated daily and can be found at https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view  CSWA suggests that whether you live in an area that is a hot spot for infection or one with low levels of infection, it is prudent to continue to wear masks and maintain social distance of 6 feet in public indoor areas. 

The topic of whether to return to seeing patients in person is also on the minds of LCSWs.  Please see the two hour webinar I recorded on July 22 to get detailed information on how to make your own decision about what is best for you. You can find it at https://www.clinicalsocialworkassociation.org/CSWA-Webinars#ToBe in the Members Only section.

To give members an overview of the way others are viewing returning to the office, CSWA is asking all members to take the short anonymous Survey to gather this information:

Please click here to complete the survey 

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Medical Necessity

More and more often, LCSWs are receiving letters questioning the “medical necessity” of our treatment.  To address these often baseless conclusions, CSWA has developed the response template which you may use to explain the validity of your treatment decisions. Click here for the MEDICAL NECESSITY LETTER [Template]

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Physician Fee Schedule

As happens every August, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued potential changes to the rules that govern all medical practice which includes clinical social work practice.  The CSWA Government Relations Committee is developing comments on this year’s PFS and will send them to members before the August 23 deadline for review.

Thanks for your support of CSWA and have a great summer!