Members Center
News
Program Directory
Legislative Updates
Links
Join CSPR / AACVPR
Certification
Job Postings

California Society for Pulmonary Rehabilitation

The California Society for Pulmonary Rehabilitation (CSPR) is a nonprofit organization, conceived in 1986 and incorporated in 1990 after several years of networking and planning by pulmonary rehabilitation health care professionals in California. The CSPR also welcomes Out-of-State members.


This State Society is comprised of Physicians, Respiratory Care Practitioners, Registered Nurses, Exercise Physiologists, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, as well as other health care professionals.


Goals of CSPR:
  • Provide an environment for networking among professionals caring for the complex needs of pulmonary patients.
  • Provide educational opportunities to improve knowledge and skills for clinical practice and research applications.
  • Promote and support guidelines for pulmonary rehabilitation programs.
  • Promote awareness of pulmonary health and rehabilitation for the patient, community, and health care professional.
  • Work closely with other professional organizations to promote common interests.
  • Nurture development and enhance the professional image of practitioners working with pulmonary patients.
  • Publicize and promote National Pulmonary Rehabilitation Week.
Please join us for our next Town Hall

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR FUTURE TOWN HALLS:

Saturday October 7th,  9-11 AM
Pulmonary Rehabilitation Reimbursement
More info to come as date get closer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We look forward to "seeing" you!

Please contact us for any questions, suggestions, or concerns at
CSPR@CSPR.ORG


AACVPR Health Policy & Reimbursement Update - ​ February 2, 2023

Public Health Emergency Set to Expire.
​The public health emergency (PHE) will expire on May 11, 2023. This means that for cardiac, intensive cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation services (CR/ICR/PR) in the hospital outpatient setting, virtual (synchronous, real-time audio-video) delivery of sessions will no longer be reimbursed by Medicare after that date.

As was previously clarified in the final 2023 Medicare regulation, virtual direct supervision for CR/ICR/PR services will continue to be allowed until the end of 2023. This has been particularly beneficial for programs in rural areas, such as critical access and rural hospitals, where an MD or DO is often not as readily on-site and physically present.

CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) has made it clear that remote physiologic monitoring (RPM) codes are not equivalent to CR/ICR/PR codes. RPM codes submitted under the guise of CR/ICR/PR are not billable by hospital outpatient rehabilitation services for Medicare beneficiaries.
Asynchronous (not real-time) services for CR/ICR/PR have never been billable to Medicare. Some examples of this would be digital health tracking (steps, HR, BP, medication adherence, etc.), electronic educational resources, or phone calls. However, programs may continue to use such adjunct means to enhance a patient’s rehabilitation course.

CR/ICR/PR programs that are provided in physician offices will continue to be able to deliver virtual (synchronous, real-time audio-video) sessions through 2024. This is only for those programs that are owned and billed by physicians under telehealth professional codes that are available only to physician practices. (Please see AACVPR Health Policy & Reimbursement Update November 22, 2022, for more information on this).
AACVPR is actively pursuing legislative avenues to allow for permanent virtual direct supervision and reimbursement for virtual delivery of CR/ICR/PR services for both hospital outpatient and physician practice settings.
​
Be Part of the Solution – AACVPR Heads to the Hill. Join AACVPR at Day on the Hill, March 7-8, to advocate for key legislation to improve access and meet the increasing demand for cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation services. This year, our legislative agenda will focus on key priorities, including:
  • Virtual direct supervision and virtual delivery of CR/ICR/PR
  • Sustaining Outpatient Services Act, which will allow expansion of space and improvement in accessibility to CR/ICR/PR without payment reduction due to the location of the service
Registration is free and requires no prior advocacy experience. All participants will receive resources and training before the event.

Be Part of the Solution – AACVPR Heads to the Hill. 
Join AACVPR at Day on the Hill, March 7-8, to advocate for key legislation to improve access and meet the increasing demand for cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation services. This year, our legislative agenda will focus on key priorities, including:
  • Virtual direct supervision and virtual delivery of CR/ICR/PR
  • Sustaining Outpatient Services Act, which will allow expansion of space and improvement in accessibility to CR/ICR/PR without payment reduction due to the location of the service
Registration is free and requires no prior advocacy experience. All participants will receive resources and training before the event.

Updates on Health Policy and Reimbursement

Public Health Emergency Update

AACVPR recently learned that HHS has announced the Public Health Emergency (PHE) will likely remain in place for the entirety of 2021. What does this mean for CR/PR/ICR programs? View AACVPR's comprehensive  ​Fact Sheet.
February 3, 2021
AACVPR: Health Policy & Reimbursement Update
AACVPR recently learned that HHS has announced the Public Health Emergency (PHE) will likely remain in place for the entirety of 2021
October 20, 2020
AACVPR: ​Health Policy & Reimbursement Update
CMS adds cardiac, intensive cardiac, and pulmonary rehabilitation to telehealth codes for physician office-based programs during the Public Health Emergency
September 23, 2020
AACVPR: Health Policy & Reimbursement Update
Delivery of Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation – Opportunities During the COVID-19 Pandemic
October 9, 2020
AACVPR: ​Health Policy & Reimbursement Update
Extension of COVID-19 Pandemic extends Opportunities for Delivery of Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Vital Signs, Oxygen, & Exercise Prescription. How are these impacted by COVID-19 By Ellen Hillegass

CMS WAIVES IN-PERSON TESTING FOR MEDICARE OXYGEN PATIENTS

COVID-19 and Telehealth update from AACVPR

​CMS Rejects Telehealth Reimbursement for CR/PR
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation professionals and our patients.…Read AACVPR Update

European Respiratory Society

Please see the link below for an important resource from the European Respiratory Society Ad-hoc International Task Force who have published an expert-based opinion on early- and short-term rehabilitation interventions in COVID-19 survivors. It will be updated at least every two weeks. The group welcomes input from the rehabilitation community via this link:

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Healthcare Professional Resources

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Patient Resources

American Thoracic Society
What to do When Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR) is Unavailable
PATIENT EDUCATION | INFORMATION SERIES
American Thoracic Society
What is the Novel 2019-nCoV Coronavirus?
PATIENT HEALTH | INFORMATION SERIES
American Thoracic Society
Novel Wuhan (2019-nCOV) Coronavirus
PUBLIC HEALTH | INFORMATION SERIES

CSPR is a Joint Affiliate of AACVPR

aacvpr logo

Joint Affiliate (JA) CSPR/AACVPR Membership

Join today and get two memberships – CSPR & AACVPR.
Become a joint affiliate member now. Your membership cycle will be July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020.

Need help accessing CSPR Members Only pages?

OUR OBJECTIVES

education icon
Education​
​To support the efforts of other organizations having similar interests to those of CSPR.
awareness icon
Awareness
​To support the efforts of other organizations having similar interests to those of CSPR.
education icon
Communication
​To support the efforts of other organizations having similar interests to those of CSPR.
education icon
Development
To develop recommendations for guidelines of care for pulmonary rehabilitation programs.
education icon
Advocacy​
​To support the efforts of other organizations having similar interests to those of CSPR.

UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS

At this time, the nation has cancelled in person meetings and events, however, there's a rich source of webinars/webcasts that come with your CSPR/JA membership. 
Check out AACVPR's  Events & Education and Resources.

​CSPR is joining the Call to Action with the American Thoracic Society (ATS) to improve Pulmonary Rehabilitation awareness

Additional information is available at LIVEBETTER.ORG
​U.S. News & World Report (pick-up of HealthDay placement; RoseComm placed)
“Why Are So Few COPD Patients Getting Vital Rehab Treatment?”
November 15, 2018
CT ViewPoints (Connecticut Mirror’s opinion site; op-ed by Dr. Rochester)
“Why don’t people with COPD get all the treatment they need?”
December 13, 2018
Everyday Health  “Most COPD Patients Are Missing Out on Pulmonary Rehab Benefits”
December 6, 2018
Everyday Health (profile of patient Lynn Markwell) “How Pulmonary Rehabilitation Helped My Lung Condition and Extended My Life”
​December 21, 2018

Bulletin for ATS PR Assembly

​Please review and share with colleagues!
Pulmonary rehabilitation is known to improve quality of life for patients with COPD and other lung diseases. The problem? Not enough patients, or their doctors, know about this treatment option.
To help address that knowledge gap, the ATS has partnered with the Gawlicki Family Foundation to launch a pilot program to increase public awareness of pulmonary rehab. At the center of the campaign is a new, patient-friendly website: www.livebetter.org.
On the website, visitors will find a number of resources to help patients (and their family, friends, caregivers and doctors) answer an important question: Is pulmonary rehab right for me? Related resources, include:
 
Resources explaining pulmonary rehab and its benefits
Directory of pulmonary rehab programs across the United States
Criteria for selecting a PR Program and the enrollment process
Patient stories
Frequently Asked Questions 
 
The campaign is also being promoted through a public relations campaign. Here are a few recent news articles which were subsequently published in numerous other news outlets:  
Physician's Briefing: "Patients Hospitalized for COPD Rarely Receive Pulmonary Rehab," November 16, 2016
Everyday Health: "Most COPD Patients Are Missing Out on Pulmonary Rehab Benefits," December 6, 2018
 
Please share these resources, most especially www.livebetter.org, a related fact sheet and the attached social media posts, with your colleagues, patients and their families. ATS also has a Patient Education Information Series fact sheet on this topic.
 
Pulmonary rehab can deliver real benefits and we want as many people as possible to know.

REIMBURSEMENT UPDATES

​​Pulmonary Rehabilitation Reimbursement Challenges and Strategies for Survival by Chris Garvey, et al.
Despite growing evidence for the clinical effectiveness of Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR), inadequate reimbursement and limited availability continue to hinder the effective PR delivery in the US.(1) A recent analysis indicates that, in 2012, only 3.7% of Medicare-eligible COPD patients received PR (2). Low reimbursement undeniably influences the availability of what is now the standard of care in chronic lung disease. 

Medicare: Final 2020 Cardiac & Pulmonary Rehabilitation Payment Rates

CMS has published final payment rates for cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation (CR/PR) reimbursement rates. 

​Pulmonary Rehabilitation – California as a Leader in Improving Reimbursement and Awareness

by Chris Garvey NP, Richard Casaburi PhD, MD and Phil Porte

AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Mary Burns Award
The Mary Burns Award is given annually to a CSPR member in recognition of clinical excellence.
​Educational Scholarship
Each year CSPR makes a $500 scholarship available to a member to further their education.
aacvpr logo

California Society for
Pulmonary Rehabilitation
4733 Torrance Blvd. #500
​Torrance, CA 90503
cspr@cspr.org | www.cspr.org​
CSPR is a Joint Affiliate of AACVPR
aacvpr logo
BOD ARCHIVES
© COPYRIGHT 2021. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
CSPR