Trending in Telehealth highlights state legislative and regulatory developments that impact the healthcare providers, telehealth and digital health companies, pharmacists and technology companies that deliver and facilitate the delivery of virtual care.
Trending in the past week:
- Interstate compacts
- Reimbursement requirements
- Professional standards
A CLOSER LOOK
Finalized Legislation & Rulemaking:
- In Colorado, SB 24-168 was signed by the governor, requiring reimbursement for remote monitoring for outpatient services for certain Medicaid members. This bill also creates a grant program to provide grants to outpatient healthcare facilities that are in rural areas to assist with the cost of providing telehealth remote monitoring, recognizing the cost to set up these programs. These parameters go into effect July 1, 2025. This bill also requires that the State cover continuous glucose monitors for Medicaid members.
- Florida enacted HB 855, which addresses teledentistry treatment, specifically requiring a disclaimer to accompany dental care provided via telehealth that an in-person visit is recommended prior to telehealth treatment. The bill goes into effect July 1, 2024.
- Mississippi finalized a rule that removed restrictions for telehealth visits with an evaluation & management code of level IV or V to be reimbursable by the state’s Medicaid program.
- Tennessee enacted several telehealth related bills:
- HB 2857: In the realm of general healthcare insurance statutes, the bill revises the definition of “provider-based telemedicine” in Tenn. Code Ann. § 56-7-1003 to remove the requirement that the patient has already established the provider-patient relationship via an in-person visit within 16 months prior to the telehealth visit. An in-person visit is still required, however it does not need to be within that 16-month lookback period. This bill took effect on May 28, 2024.
- HB 2318: This bill allows a physician assistant who operates solely via telehealth to arrange for the required review of the physician assistant’s charts by a collaborating physician or any required visit by a collaborating physician to any remote site to be completed via HIPAA-compliant electronic means, rather than at the site of the clinic. The bill also removes telehealth as an option. This bill went into effect on May 28, 2024.
- HB 2147: The Tennessee Medicaid Program, TennCare, is now required to cover complex rehabilitation visits that are conducted via telehealth. This goes into effect on July 1, 2024.
- HB 2808: Tennessee now requires that healthcare services delivered to inmates for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment can be provided via telemedicine, if requested and associated payment through various state programs, including TennCare, to cover treatment. This bill goes into effect on July 1, 2024.
- Vermont enacted a law through H 861 that requires parity for healthcare services provided via telemedicine, broadly applicable to healthcare insurance plans. This bill goes into effect on January 1, 2025.
- Several states enacted compact-related legislation:
- Colorado signed HB 24-1002, which enacts the Social [...]
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- Colorado signed HB 24-1002, which enacts the Social [...]
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