Medicaid Coverage
Subscribe to Medicaid Coverage's Posts

Trending in Telehealth: September 5 – 18, 2023

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:

  • Medicaid Coverage
  • Broadband Access
  • Behavioral Health and Substance Use Disorder Treatment
  • Practice Standards Across Licensee Types

A CLOSER LOOK

Finalized Legislation and Rulemaking

Legislation and Rulemaking Activity in Proposal Phase

Highlights:

  • California progressed several bills to the engrossing and enrolling stage and to the governor for signature.
    • AB 965 moved from the second committee to the governor for signature. The bill is an amendment to the Permit Streamlining Act that would require local agencies that process applications for the construction of broadband projects to simultaneously process multiple broadband permit applications for substantially similar projects under a single permit (so-called batch broadband permit processing), with the goal of ensuring a more efficient broadband approval process.
    • AB 1369 also progressed from the second committee to the governor for signature. This legislation provides that a person licensed as a physician and surgeon in another state would be authorized to deliver healthcare via telehealth to a patient who, among other requirements, has a disease or condition in which there is a reasonable likelihood of death within a matter of months.
    • AB 1478 was enrolled on September 14, 2023. The bill would require the State Department of Public Health to maintain, on its website, a database of referral networks of community-based mental health providers and support services addressing postpartum depression and prenatal care, information on mental health providers and support groups that allow patient-driven care access, including telehealth and virtual care.
    • AB 912 was enrolled on September 16, 2023. The bill would authorize school-based health centers to provide primary medical care, behavioral health services or dental care services on site or through mobile health or telehealth.
    • AB 48 was sent to engrossing and enrolling on September 13, 2023. The bill would add nursing [...]

      Continue Reading



Trending in Telehealth: July 11 – 17, 2023

Trending in Telehealth is a new series from the McDermott digital health team in which we highlight 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 two weeks:

  • Medicaid coverage
  • Maternal health

A CLOSER LOOK

Finalized Legislation and Rulemaking

  • Alaska finalized regulations that implement 2022 legislation (HB 265) requiring the state Medicaid program to provide coverage for telehealth services. The regulations set out requirements related to coverage and payment through Medicaid for services provided via telehealth, including requirements for modalities and providers.
  • Maryland finalized regulations for the state Medicaid program that update the final date for which telehealth includes audio-only telephone conversations. The final date has been moved from June 30, 2023, to June 30, 2025, in line with legislation enacted in May 2023. The regulations also broaden eligibility for remote patient monitoring services by removing the requirement that the participant be at high risk for avoidable hospital utilization.
  • Maryland also finalized regulations for the state Medicaid program that update the requirements for urgent care centers, including requirements for supervision and services provided via telehealth.

Legislation and Rulemaking Activity in Proposal Phase

Highlights:

  • California passed AB 1478 in the first chamber. The bill would require the Department of Public Health to maintain a public database of referral networks for community-based mental health providers and support services addressing postpartum depression and prenatal care, including information on mental health providers and support groups that allow for patient-driven care access through telehealth and virtual care.
  • Colorado proposed a rule that would authorize the use of electronic consultation (eConsults) in the state Medicaid program. eConsults would take place through the authorized eConsult platform, which is currently in the process of being implemented by the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. eConsults would involve an asynchronous interaction between a primary care provider and a specialty provider in order to obtain the specialty provider’s expert opinion. Specialty providers would be reimbursed only for eConsults that occur on the approved eConsult platform. More information regarding the eConsult Platform, currently scheduled to go live in winter 2024, is available here.
  • Texas proposed a rule that would extend the eHealth Advisory Committee (eHAC) for an additional two years. eHAC advises the Health and Human Services Commission Executive Commissioner and Health and Human Services agencies on strategic planning, policy, rules and services related to the use of health information technology, health information exchange systems, telemedicine, telehealth and home telemonitoring services, and is scheduled to sunset December 31, 2023.

Why it matters:

  • States continue to adopt rules addressing the use of telehealth in state Medicaid programs. Much of this regulatory activity is focusing on clarifying and expanding coverage for telehealth services in state Medicaid programs, [...]

    Continue Reading



STAY CONNECTED

TOPICS

ARCHIVES

2021 Chambers USA top ranked firm
LEgal 500 EMEA top tier firm 2021
U.S. News Law Firm of the Year 2022 Health Care Law