Four Common Forms of Virtual Care Reimbursed in Half of US States

 According to a recent report, 25 states now provide reimbursement for video, store-and-forward, and audio-only telehealth, as well as remote patient monitoring through Medicaid.

Although every state and Washington, D.C. include some form of live video-based telehealth in their Medicaid programs, only 25 of them also offer Medicaid reimbursement for live video, store-and-forward telehealth, remote patient monitoring (RPM), and audio-only telehealth, as outlined in the Fall 2023 report by the Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP). This report provides updates on telehealth policy changes since the Spring 2023 report and relies on information from CCHP’s online Policy Finder, drawing from state laws, administrative codes, and Medicaid provider manuals as primary sources.

While all states do provide reimbursement for live video-based telehealth services, there are certain limitations in place, including restrictions on eligible services for reimbursement, the types of healthcare providers covered, and the patient’s location.

In total, 33 state Medicaid programs now provide reimbursement for store-and-forward telehealth, a method involving the sharing of medical information with a healthcare practitioner through technology for evaluation or management. Since the spring, Florida, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Utah have introduced reimbursement for store-and-forward telehealth.

The report also highlights that five additional states have laws mandating Medicaid reimbursement for store-and-forward telehealth services, although the Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP) has been unable to find official Medicaid policies confirming such reimbursement. These states are Colorado, Connecticut, Mississippi, New Hampshire, and New Jersey.

https://www.allzonems.com/four-common-forms-of-virtual-care-reimbursed-in-half-of-us-states/