Telehealth Reminders

SHARS expanded telehealth services are available until    October 23, 2020.

Telehealth services must meet specific criteria:

• SHARS and special education guidance remain in effect;
• Eligible telehealth services include: 
  • Audiology services    
  • Counseling/ Psychological services *    
  • Occupational therapy*    
  • Physician services    
  • Physical therapy*    
  • Speech therapy*                                                                                                                                           *these services are always eligible for telehealth billing
• Parent or adult student consent for specific telehealth services must be documented prior to the delivery of the service.
• Each session must be synchronous audiovisual interaction.
• A parent or adult student must provide consent to the service provider to allow anyone other than the child and parent to be present during the session.  This should be documented.

Frequently Asked Questions

This is intended to clarify not replace the SHARS FAQ or the Texas Medicaid Provider Procedure Manual (TMPPM).

Can a digital signature be used for the one time SHARS parental consent and/ or service logs?

If certain conditions are met, an electronic signature is acceptable:

• "Prior to accepting an electronic signature, a state agency shall ensure that the level of security used to identify the signer of a message and to transmit the signature is sufficient for the transaction being conducted." The district must  verify that the document was digitally signed by the intended signer.                                                                                                                 1Texas Administrative Code (TAC)§ 203.23(b)
• The signed document, along with its contextual records described above, must be maintained as required for record retention audit purposes.                                                                                                                                                   1TAC§ 203.23(e)

Additional information regarding the management of signed government records can be found in the Guidelines for the Management of Electronic Transactions and Signed Records.

Deadlines: Time Study Participation

Participation in Random Moment Time Study (RMTS) and compliance with all RMTS requirements is mandatory for participation in SHARS. Attendance at RMTS training each federal fiscal year is mandatory. RMTS program contacts must attend annual training provided by HHSC. School staff  who are randomly selected to participate in the time study must receive annual training from a local RMTS program contact who has completed the HHSC mandatory training. Upcoming HHSC RMTS Trainings 11/5/2020 Webinar Initial 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM 11/12/2020 Webinar Refresher 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM   Participant List (PL) Prior to each federal fiscal quarter, the RMTS contact for each participating provider will identify personnel who are eligible to participate in the RMTS. This information is entered into the State of Texas Automated Information Reporting System (STAIRS) and reviewed each quarter. FFY 1st Quarter FFY 2nd Quarter Time Study Begins: 10/01/2020 PL Opens 09/16/2020 Time Study Ends: 12/15/2020 PL Closes: 12/15/2020

Deadlines: Certification of Funds

Updated guidance related to the  Certification of Funds Letter to be Emailed to SHARS Providers, is available on the Texas Medicare and Medicaid Partnership (TMHP) website.   For more information, call the TMHP Contact Center at 800-925-9126.

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