Tips and Tools for Social Workers

Clinical social workers who are Medicare providers should be aware of the following changes in telehealth reimbursement in 2024.

NASW’s Task force for School Social Work Practice Standards is seeking public comments for the attached document: Best Practice Standards for School Social Workers. The document provides a useful set of standards for school social workers seeking specific information related to school social workers. Your comments are important and will determine how the task force moves forward. The public comment period begins February 6 and will end March 8.

NASW members recently informed the association of notices of overpayment from the insurer, Optum/United Behavioral Health, and its Optum Recovery Service Team. An overpayment occurs when an insurer pays more than is expected for a health service.

On November 2, 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released updates to the Quality Payment Program (QPP) which can be found in the 2024 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and the QPP Resource Library. The QPP was established by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). Its purpose is to provide tools and resources to help providers give their patients the highest-value of care.

NASW is developing a task force for the revision of the 2013 Child Welfare Standards. NASW reviews and revises these standards to incorporate and update the best practices in the field of Child Welfare.

The Medicare annual election period, also known as the open enrollment period (OEP), opened on October 15 and ends on December 7. During this time, people who are already enrolled in Medicare can review, compare, and modify their coverage options. Changes made during the 2023 OEP affect coverage between January 1 and December 31, 2024.