The Most and Least Telehealth-Friendly States

While 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.

Healthcare organizations are increasingly looking to adopt telehealth programs, but they face a number of policy barriers that hinder their plans, according to the Center for Connected Health Policy. Payers are rapidly becoming educated and are keen on closing the gap. Click HERE to discuss how BHM helps payers.