• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Tuesday, July 29, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Health

Streets recognized by CMS as legitimate locale to deliver health care

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
July 20, 2023
in Health
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
ADVERTISEMENT
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) officially recognized that medical care can be delivered on the street, making it possible for providers like USC’s Street Medicine team to be reimbursed for services provided to people who are currently unhoused. 

USC Street Medicine

Credit: Photo: USC

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) officially recognized that medical care can be delivered on the street, making it possible for providers like USC’s Street Medicine team to be reimbursed for services provided to people who are currently unhoused. 

The decision, which was announced on June 28, 2023, was the result of a multi-year effort on the part of leaders of USC Street Medicine and the Street Medicine Institute to have CMS create a place of service (POS) code for the street. As a result of this designation, street medicine providers nationwide will be able to be reimbursed for their services effective October 1, 2023. 

“This is an important decision for the street medicine providers, but also for our patients,” said Brett Feldman, director and co-founder of USC Street Medicine and an assistant professor of family medicine at Keck School of Medicine of USC. “Our patients rely on street medicine to survive and so by recognizing the street as a legitimate place to deliver health care, it recognizes their right to life.”

Code removes roadblock to services 

The lack of a POS code has caused numerous obstacles for the medical professionals who deliver care to patients outside of the walls of a typical health care facility. According to Feldman, who led an effort in 2018 to survey street medicine providers across the country, more than 70% of the nation’s street medicine teams do not attempt to be reimbursed for services due to the lack of this code. 

In addition, patients have often been unable to get additional services because insurers could not process their claims without a POS code. Because their claims went unprocessed, Feldman noted that patients were frequently denied the opportunity to see specialists, had difficulty obtaining medications and couldn’t get access to devices like walkers or wheelchairs.

Prior to this decision, the only insurers that reimbursed care given by street medicine providers were the state Medicaid programs in California and Hawaii. This decision helped to streamline the process of submitting claims and allowed providers to order additional services for their patients in those states. 

The new code will also make it possible for researchers to identify street medicine visits and patients, allowing them to collect data to gain a better understanding of the needs of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. This type of research could lead to the creation of a more equitable care model.

Potential turning point for street medicine

Feldman first began researching this issue in 2015 when he was leading a street medicine team in Pennsylvania. When he joined the board of the Street Medicine Institute in 2017, he conducted additional research, including surveying members about billing practices.

Feldman’s research ultimately led the USC Street Medicine team, the Street Medicine Institute and other partners to submit a formal proposal to CMS to have the street designated as a legitimate place to deliver health care services. 

Street medicine, he noted, is still a relatively young field of medicine, which may help explain why CMS had not designated a POS code for the street. Street medicine is growing, however and there are now street medicine teams active in more than 100 cities in the U.S. 

This change could represent a major turning point for the delivery of street medicine across the country. Feldman said that while some street medicine teams get grants or philanthropic support to provide care, many are small and unfunded. 

“Most street medicine programs fight to exist and survive right now,” said Feldman. “This recognition by CMS helps makes street medicine sustainable and scalable and could really help these programs to grow and thrive.”

About Keck School of Medicine of USC

Founded in 1885, the Keck School of Medicine of USC is one of the nation’s leading medical institutions, known for innovative patient care, scientific discovery, education and community service. Medical and graduate students work closely with world-renowned faculty and receive hands-on training in one of the nation’s most diverse communities. They participate in cutting-edge research as they develop into tomorrow’s health leaders. The Keck School faculty are key participants in training of 1200 resident physicians across 70 specialty and subspecialty programs, thus playing a major role in the education of physicians practicing in Southern California.



Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

blank

Novel Plasma Synuclein Test Advances Parkinson’s Diagnosis

July 29, 2025
blank

Obesity’s Impact on Pancreatic Surgery Outcomes Compared

July 28, 2025

Virion Movement in Sialoglycan-Cleaving Respiratory Viruses

July 28, 2025

Bariatric Surgery’s Impact on Circulating S100A9

July 28, 2025

POPULAR NEWS

  • Blind to the Burn

    Overlooked Dangers: Debunking Common Myths About Skin Cancer Risk in the U.S.

    56 shares
    Share 22 Tweet 14
  • USF Research Unveils AI Technology for Detecting Early PTSD Indicators in Youth Through Facial Analysis

    42 shares
    Share 17 Tweet 11
  • Dr. Miriam Merad Honored with French Knighthood for Groundbreaking Contributions to Science and Medicine

    45 shares
    Share 18 Tweet 11
  • Engineered Cellular Communication Enhances CAR-T Therapy Effectiveness Against Glioblastoma

    35 shares
    Share 14 Tweet 9

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Cracking the Code of Cancer Drug Resistance

Peptidoglycan Links Prevent Lysis in Gram-Negative Bacteria

Novel Plasma Synuclein Test Advances Parkinson’s Diagnosis

  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.