The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) analyzed how all 50 states grade out on telemedicine policy, finding a supportive landscape for physician practice standards and licensure in slightly less than half of them.
The coverage and reimbursement landscape is not as progressive, according to the analysis from the ATA. Since the last report in September of 2014, only five states and the District of Columbia have the maintained the highest possible composite score suggesting a supportive policy landscape that encourages telemedicine adoption (Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Tennessee, and Virginia). Two states (Maryland, Mississippi) dropped from A to B because of additional restrictions being placed on telehealth coverage under their Medicaid plans.
“After ATA issued the State Telemedicine Gaps Reports last September, many state regulating bodies responded by looking at how their laws and regulations impact healthcare delivery in their state,” Jonathan Linkous, CEO of ATA, said in a statement. “As a result of state actions across the nation, ATA reevaluated the indicators for each state and issued new reports. As before, we anticipate that these reports will serve as an incentive to increase the utilization of telemedicine to improve the accessibility, affordability and quality of healthcare.”
The 22 states that have the most supportive policy landscape around physician practice standards and licensure include:
Colorado | New Hampshire |
