telehealthWhile nearly all state Medicaid programs provide reimbursement for some telehealth services, policies are not consistent across the U.S., and some states’ policies are much more telehealth-friendly than others, a recent Manatt analysis shows.

Manatt, a legal and consulting firm, conducted a review of laws and Medicaid program policies related to telehealth across all 50 states. The analysis focused on six key issues: practice standards and licensure; coverage and reimbursement; eligible patient settings; eligible provider types; eligible technologies; and service limitations. Based on the analysis, the firm categorized states into three categories:

  • Progressive, in which state law and Medicaid policy enable and encourage the broad use of telehealth
  • Moderate, in which state law and Medicaid policy are mixed or moderately support the broad use of telehealth
  • Restrictive, in which state law and Medicaid policy may inhibit the broad use of telehealth

Here is how all 50 states and Washington, D.C., stacked up:

Progressive

  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Florida
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Maine
  • Minnesota
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • Nevada
  • New York
  • Utah
  • Vermont
  • Washington

Moderate

  • Alabama
  • D.C.
  • Delaware
  • Iowa
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Michigan
  • Mississippi
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • West Virginia
  • Wyoming

Restrictive

  • Arkansas
  • Georgia
  • Massachusetts
  • Maryland
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • New Hampshire
  • Ohio
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • Texas

Click here to access the complete report.