Policy and Regulation

New Bills Target Telehealth Coverage for Substance Abuse, Mental Health Services

by Eric Wicklund

Lawmakers are once again taking aim at the substance abuse epidemic with a wide-ranging bill that expands access to telehealth – including audio-only phone services – for...

WV Lawmakers Move to OK Telehealth Expansion, Audio-Only Phone Calls

by Eric Wicklund

West Virginia lawmakers are nearing approval of a bill that would allow healthcare providers from other states to use telehealth to treat residents in the state. The State Senate this week unanimously...

Arkansas Lawmakers Clash Over Audio-Only Telehealth Coverage

by Eric Wicklund

Arkansas lawmakers are moving forward with legislation that would allow healthcare providers to use a real-time, audio-only telehealth platform to treat patients. The path hasn’t been easy. The...

Iowa Lawmakers Debate Payment Parity for Telemental Health Services

by Eric Wicklund

Iowa lawmakers are debating a bill that would mandate payment parity for mental health services delivered by telehealth. The state’s House of Representatives has approved HF 294, which would...

MedPAC Recommends Limiting Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Coverage, More Study

by Eric Wicklund

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission is taking a cautious approach to permanent telehealth policy, advising lawmakers to extend some emergency rules for telehealth access and coverage up to a few...

Congress Targets Telehealth Coverage for Mental Health, Substance Abuse Treatment

by Eric Wicklund

Congress will be taking a serious look at expanding telehealth coverage for mental health and substance abuse services this year. Last week Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Lisa Murkowsky (R-AK)...

Virginia Expands Coverage for School Telehealth, Remote Patient Monitoring

by Eric Wicklund

A pair of bills headed to Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s desk will expand the state Medicaid program to cover remote patient monitoring services and school-based telehealth programs. HB 1987,...

South Dakota Governor Permanently Extends Telehealth Coverage

by Eric Wicklund

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has signed into law a bill that allows healthcare providers to treat patients via telehealth without first needing an in-person exam. SB 96, which includes some...

Vermont Lawmaker’s Broadband Expansion Bill Would Boost Telehealth

by Eric Wicklund

A Vermont Congressman is proposing setting aside almost $80 billion to expand high-speed broadband services throughout the country, a move that directly address one of the primary barriers to...

Utah Expands Telehealth Coverage for Mental Health Services

by Eric Wicklund

Utah Governor Spencer Cox has signed into law a bill that allows coverage for mental healthcare services delivered by telehealth. SB 41, sponsored by State Sen. Luz Escamilla, requires the...

California Amends ‘5150 Hold’ Law to Allow Telehealth Evaluations

by Eric Wicklund

California lawmakers have amended a long-standing law regulating involuntary commitment to a mental health institution to allow psychiatric evaluations to be done by telehealth. The...

Maryland Lawmakers Debate Bill to Expand School-Based Telehealth

by Eric Wicklund

Maryland lawmakers are moving forward with emergency legislation designed to make it easier for school-based health centers to offer telehealth. HB 34/SB 278, introduced by State Sen. Cheryl Kagan,...

Coalition Backs Illinois Telehealth Bill Supporting Payment Parity

by Eric Wicklund

A coalition of more than 30 Illinois healthcare providers and groups is throwing its support behind a state bill that would, among other things, establish payment parity for telehealth services and...

OIG Defends Recent Telehealth Audits, Recognizes Telefraud Challenges

by Eric Wicklund

Federal authorities are cracking down on telehealth fraud and misuse during the coronavirus pandemic, and that has the attention of advocates who worry that connected health may be getting a bad rap in...

Lawmakers Resubmit Telehealth Bills Targeting Kids’ Health, COVID-19 Effects

by Eric Wicklund

Two more telehealth bills have resurfaced on Capitol Hill, joining a growing package of legislation aimed at improving connected health coverage and access after the coronavirus pandemic. US Reps....

Washington State Lawmakers Mull Audio-Only Telehealth Guidelines

by Eric Wicklund

Washington state lawmakers are working on legislation that would set specific guidelines for use and coverage of audio-only telehealth platforms, such as the phone. HB 1196, sponsored by State Rep....

2 More Telehealth Bills Return to Congress For Another Try

by Eric Wicklund

Two popular telehealth bills that failed to make it through last year’s Legislature are being reintroduced this week on Capitol Hill, adding to a growing number of connected health bills aimed at...

South Dakota Lawmakers Shoot Down Telehealth Marijuana Bill

by Eric Wicklund

South Dakota lawmakers have rejected a bill that would have allowed healthcare providers in the state to use telehealth to prescribe medical marijuana. The state’s House of Representatives shot...

Will Telehealth Payment Parity Be Permanent or a Passing Fancy?

by Eric Wicklund

As federal and state lawmakers look to establish telehealth policy beyond the coronavirus pandemic, much of the conversation will focus on payment parity. That’s the biggest take-away from a...

AHA Tells MedPAC to Take its Time on Telehealth Coverage Recommendations

by Eric Wicklund

The American Hospital Association is asking the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to hold off on long-term recommendations for telehealth expansion and coverage, saying more analysis is needed to...

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