Varying State Definitions of Telehealth Cause Confusion

Variations in state definitions of telehealth and telemedicine create "confusing environments" for users, according to a report by the Center for Connected Health Policy, FierceHealthIT reports.  ccording to the report, 48 states and Washington, D.C., have definitions of telehealth or telemedicine written into state law or their respective Medicaid programs (Bowman, FierceHealthIT, 8/4). Rhode Island and New Jersey are the only states that lack a definition for either term.

Meanwhile, the report found that states that do define the terms often alternate between telehealth and telemedicine. While there are some similarities, no two definitions are the same (CCHP report, July 2015).

The report also found that:

• Nine states reimburse for store-and-forward services, which enable electronic transmission of medical information;
• 16 states reimburse for remote patient monitoring (FierceHealthIT, 8/4); and
• Email, phone and fax are rarely accepted as reimbursable forms of telehealth services, unless combined with another method.

Findings on Licensure

In terms of licensing, the report found that:

• Eight state medical boards issue telehealth licenses that could allow providers to offer telehealth services in other states; and
• 11 states have joined the Federation of State Medical Boards' Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, which allows for an expedited licensure process for providers to apply for licenses in other states.

The report also found that more than 200 telehealth-related measures were introduced across 42 states during the 2015 legislative session (CCHP report, July 2015).  Read More