Federal News & Issues

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 1, 2020 – The American Psychiatric Association (APA) today praises action taken this week by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to increase access to telehealth for Americans who lack the required video technology or live in areas without reliable broadband access. The APA has pushed for this increased, audio-only access for patients who have older phones that do not have a camera or lack internet access.

“We applaud CMS for taking this step to further increase access to telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic by allowing for audio-only visits,” said APA President Jeffrey Geller, M.D., M.P.H. “This allows us to better treat our patients while respecting guidelines on physical distancing. The full impact of the new CMS rule change is...

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 29, 2020 –At the close of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Virtual Highlights Meeting, Joseph C. Napoli, M.D., assumed the role of Speaker of the APA Assembly of District Branches.

Napoli is a board-certified psychiatrist in Fort Lee, New Jersey, a Partner and Co-Director of Resiliency, LLC, and an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Board Certified in Psychiatry, and a Distinguished Life Fellow of the APA. He is Past President of the New Jersey Psychiatric Association (NJPA), a district branch of the APA. He has served many years as a Representative to the APA...