Eli's Rehab Report

Reader Question:

Sensory Integrative Techniques

Question: My state carriers Web site lists 97533 in the clinical psychologists category. Can therapists continue to use this code?

Utah Subscriber
 
Answer: Physical and occupational therapists still bill 97533 (Sensory integrative techniques to enhance sensory processing and promote adaptive responses to environmental demands, direct [one-on-one] patient contact by the provider, each 15 minutes) and receive reimbursement from Medicare. This therapy is often aimed at helping children or adults with problems reacting to outside stimuli (such as an autistic patient who has trouble adjusting to having people around him) and teaching them how to respond to such occurrences. On a state-by-state basis, licensing laws dictate who may bill any particular code. Some states allow clinical psychologists to bill for 97533 because it often falls into their scope of practice. That does not mean that therapists are barred from billing the code; however, its a good idea to check with your state carrier or therapy association to confirm which codes are billable by therapists in your region. 

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