Category: Alerts
Effective July 1, 2021, the Preserve Telehealth Access Act of 2021 (“Act”)
makes the following changes to telehealth:
- Adds audio-only calls that result in the delivery of a billable, covered health care service and remote patient monitoring to the definition of telehealth and requires Medicaid programs to reimburse licensed health care providers for such services
- Expands the definition of telehealth to include audio-only calls that result in the delivery of billable, covered health care services and requires private health insurers to reimburse providers for audio-only calls for all health insurance policies issued, delivered, or renewed on or after July 1, 2021
- Only authorizes these additional reimbursements for the period of July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2023
- Provides that telehealth services must be reimbursed regardless of the location of the patient at the time of service
Insureds are reminded that different states and state medical boards may have specific laws or regulations as it pertains to providing telehealth services or licensure, and before performing telehealth services, you should review applicable laws and regulations of both the state where you are located at the time of service and the location of the patient. Your policy provides liability coverage for telehealth services if you are performing telehealth services while in the state or territory in which you practice (as shown on your application) and the patient is located a state or territory in which Medical Mutual writes insurance (Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, or a contiguous state). In response to the evolving COVID-19 crisis, Medical Mutual has also temporarily suspended the telehealth requirement that an in-person patient visit with the provider occur prior to a telehealth visit, and insureds may initiate a new patient visit via telehealth during the state of emergency. For more information on telehealth and your policy coverage, visit Medical Mutual’s Telemedicine FAQS and Policy Coverage Issues webpages. Should you have any questions about your policy, call us at 410-785-0050 or toll free at 800-492-0193.
This is provided for general information purposes only and is not intended to be legal advice. Please contact your attorney for additional information on this subject matter.
