This year’s analysis of telehealth trends from the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) has revealed increased adoption and recognition of telehealth across the U.S., though unsurprisingly, state-by-state variances are still widespread.
The detailed report, “2019 State of the States Report: Coverage and Reimbursement,” provides a wide-ranging analysis of telehealth laws and policies across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The state-by-state analysis includes a review of how patient settings, different technologies, and provider types are treated across the country, as well as additional information on the unique policies dictating reimbursement and coverage of telehealth services in the U.S.
The last comprehensive state-by-state ATA report on telehealth was released in February 2017. Key findings from the 2019 report on telehealth coverage and reimbursement include:
- 40 states and D.C. have adopted substantive policies or received awards to expand telehealth coverage and reimbursement since 2017.
- 36 states and D.C. have parity policies for private payer coverage; only 21 states and D.C. have coverage parity policies in Medicaid.
- 28 states have Medicaid payment parity policies; only 16 mandate payment parity for private payers.
- The majority of states have no restrictions around eligible provider types; 10 states have authorized six or more types of providers to treat patients through telehealth.
- Only 16 states limit telehealth to synchronous technologies while most of the country recognizes the benefits of remote patient monitoring (RPM) and store and forward (S&F).
“This year’s ATA report illustrates the increasing recognition of telehealth, and can guide federal and state lawmakers to identify and address policy gaps. Collectively, states are realizing the many benefits of telehealth and are implementing policies that advance utilization,” Ann Mond Johnson, CEO of ATA, said in a statement accompanying the report. “It’s clear that more states are adopting telehealth solutions, but some lack the authority or resources needed to fully deploy telehealth across the state. ATA supports expanding research opportunities to increase innovation and reduce costs, to help incentivize states to continue to adopt telehealth services.”
