What the bulletin says
NC Medicaid's updated reminder of RB-BHT service delivery requirements, dated August 31, 2026, says the updated Clinical Coverage Policy 8F "removes telehealth for paraprofessional RB-BHT services (CPT codes 97152-97154)." Other telehealth delivery must follow Clinical Coverage Policy 1H and may not be used solely for the convenience of the provider, beneficiary or caregiver.
Dates and authorization
The bulletin gives the policy's effective date as August 1, 2026. It starts a 120 day certification grace period for existing uncertified paraprofessionals on August 1, 2026, and makes in-state enrollment required for certain qualified providers from August 2, 2026. For plans of care over 16 hours of services a week, it says reauthorization is required every three months. It says existing authorizations are not being shortened; the new duration rules apply at reauthorization. The bulletin gives no separate date for the telehealth removal, and it is listed among the Policy 8F changes.
Analysis: Operators that built technician delivery around telehealth in North Carolina need to check which sessions were billed under 97152 to 97154 by video after August 1. The hours threshold also matters for staffing models, because the three month cycle applies only above 16 hours a week.
This brief rests on the primary source linked above. Education only; nothing here is legal advice.
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