On July 7, 2016, the governor or Hawaii signed into law SB 2395 concerning Medicaid coverage for
telehealth services. The law stipulates that state Medicaid managed
care and fee-for-services programs "shall not deny coverage
for any service provided through telehealth that would be covered
if the service were provided through in-person consultation."
The law also establishes payment parity, requiring reimbursement
for services furnished via telehealth to be equivalent to
reimbursement for "the same services provided via face-to-face
contact between a health care provider and a patient."
Expanding coverage for telehealth services is particularly
important in Hawaii, where remote island locations can make patient
access to physicians a significant challenge. The law goes into
effect January 1, 2017.
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