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MILESTONE – MOST STATES NOW HAVE TELEHEALTH PARITY LAWS

By: | Tags: | May 28th, 2015

In a sweep, this week three more states, Indiana, Minnesota and Nevada, enacted telemedicine parity laws, which means over half the country – 27 states and DC – now have laws in place enforcing coverage for telemedicine-provided services.

Indianas parity law requires coverage of telemedicine services under private insurance via interactive audio, video or other electronic media. The new law also prohibits a health care provider from being required to obtain a separate additional written health care consent for the provision of telemedicine services. The law goes into effect July 1, 2015.

The new Minnesota law requires health plans to cover and reimburse for telemedicine in the same manner and at the same rate as in-person services. The statute defines telemedicine as the delivery of health care services or consultations while the patient is at an originating site and the licensed health care provider is at a distant site. Communication between a provider and patient that consists solely of e-mail or fax does not constitute telemedicine. The new law does not place limits on the patient nor provider location and allows coverage for a broad list of health care providers. There is also a provision in the law that amends an existing statute regarding Medicaid parity coverage of telemedicine. Medicaid coverage is still limited to three telemedicine services per week for each beneficiary. In addition to this, a Medicaid enrolled provider must now attest to a list of criteria to demonstrate safety and efficacy of the telemedicine services. Minnesotas parity law effects health plans issued before or after January 1, 2017.

Nevadas parity law requires coverage and reimbursement for telehealth under private insurance, Medicaid and workers compensation to the same extent and in the same amount as though provided in person. Telehealth is defined as the delivery of services from a provider of health care to a patient at a different location through the use of technology that transfers information electronically, telephonically or by fiber optics, not including standard telephone, facsimile or electronic mail. Nevada is the only state that has extended its telemedicine parity policy to include workers compensation.

Were almost halfway through the year and parity legislation is still active in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Join the ATA State Policy webinar this Thursday, May 28 at 2 p.m. ET to hear the latest on recent state decisions and new proposals.

CONGRESS KEEPS PUSHING OUT PROPOSALS TO PROMOTE TELEMEDICINE

Last week, two new telehealth-related bills were introduced in Congress:

  • S. 1465, introduced by Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) on May 22, would expand access to stroke telehealth services under the Medicare program. ATA estimates that over 125,000 patients will be diagnosed via telestroke in 2015.
  • H.R. 2516, the Veterans E-Health and Telemedicine Support Act (VETS Act), was introduced by Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) with 12 cosponsors on May 21. The bill would permit U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health professionals to treat veterans nationwide with a single state license.

ATA supports both bills as they continue to remove artificial barriers to care and expand access to lifesaving treatment. There are currently 8 telemedicine-related bills pending in Congress. One, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, has been enacted in this Congress.

ATA 2016 CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS

The call for presentations for ATA 2016 in Minneapolis will open in late July. More information about presentation criteria will be available in the coming weeks!

NEW: RESOURCES AND A DIALOGUE – CAN WE USE AUDIO, VIDEO OR EMAIL TO SAFELY EXAMINE DIAGNOSE AND TREAT BY TELEMEDICINE

Last week, ATA launched a resource page and an online chat space regarding various modes to deliver telemedicine services. ATAs new page and discussion area are devoted to making available information about this issue and provides a discussion area open to ATA members to express their views and suggestions including comments for regulators, professional societies and other stakeholders. These valuable discussions will help inform and guide the larger public dialogue on this critical issue in healthcare delivery.

You can learn more and join the conversation athttp://www.americantelemed.org/members/atas-member-hub/examining-diagnosis-and-treatment-by-telemedicine-what-is-safe-

ATA MEETING RECORDINGS NOW AVAILABLE

Unable to attend the recent ATA meeting or missed a session or course? Order the ATA 2015 recordings and receive access to full, high-definition audio, synced with the presenters PowerPoint slides. Purchase the recordings by June 15 and receive the attendee price.http://learn.americantelemed.org/diweb/catalog/t/4818/c/96

EDUCATION CALENDAR

RESCHEDULED FOR:

Tuesday, June 2, 2-3 p.m. EDT

This Month in Telemedicine

Videocast

Thursday, May 28, 2-3 p.m. EDT

Telemedicine in 2015 State Legislative and Regulatory Update

Webinar

May 26-28 – San Diego, Calif.

WLSA Convergence Summit

Co-sponsored by ATA

Friday, June 5, 3-4 p.m. EDT

Time and Place Independent Care: The Next Frontier For Dermatology

Sponsored by the ATA Teledermatology SIG – Webinar

  • Sept. 16-18, 2015 – Washington, DC – ATA Fall Forum
  • Oct. 30-31 – ATA China

Nattasha Acevedo, MD

Dr. Acevedo received her medical degree from the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico and did her neurology residency at Montefiore Medical Center in New York. She went on to do a clinical neurophysiology fellowship at Emory School of Medicine in Atla nta, Georgia and then joined private practice in Fort Myers, Florida. She currently resides in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She likes running, paddle boarding and spending time with family.
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Bernadette Borte, MD

Dr. Borte received her medical degree from St. Matthew’s University School of Medicine in Grand Cayman. She completed her neurology residency at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa. Her areas of interest include inpatient neurology and acute stroke. When not working, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her family. Dr. Borte joined the TeleSpecialist family in March of 2019.
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Mazen Almidani, MD

Dr. Almidani is board certified in pediatrics by the American Board of Pediatrics and board certified in epilepsy, as well as neurology with special  qualification in child neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.  Dr. Almidani is happily married with 4 children. His oldest son has autism and his daughter has complicated seizures; both were a drive for him to become a neurologist. Dr. Almidani enjoys soccer, running and spending time with his family. He is very involved with his sons’ therapy and helping with daily challenges. He is double board certified in Pediatric and Adult Neurology and Epilepsy. He sees children and adults. He also participates in charities for children in Syria who may be underprivileged and/or affected by the war. Dr. Almidani joined TeleSpecialists in August 2020.
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Amanda Cheshire, MD

Dr. Cheshire received her medical degree from the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Louisville, Kentucky. She completed her neurology residency at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. She did a fellowship in neurophysiology at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dr. Cheshire is double board certified in neurology and clinical neurophysiology. She enjoys traveling, reading and music. She currently resides in Viera, Florida.  Dr. Cheshire joined TeleSpecialists in June 2019.
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Jessica Floyd, MD

Dr. Floyd completed her neurology residency at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida followed by fellowship training in clinical neurophysiology with focus in EEG and epilepsy at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina. She has particular interest in hospital neurology and patient education as well as the blossoming specialty of lifestyle medicine. She strives to take advantage of every encounter with patients and medical staff to empower them to do their own research into how daily thoughts, choices, and habits can add up to create greater and longer-lasting brain and neurologic health for ourselves and our loved ones. She lives in Florence, South Carolina with her awesome husband of 13 plus years and three beautiful children. She is an avid yogi, astrologer, and lover of food and all things neurology! Dr. Floyd joined the TeleSpecialist family in July 2017.
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Nancy Futrell, MD

Dr. Futrell received her medical degree from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. She also did her neurology residency at the University of Utah as well as a research fellowship in cerebral vascular disease at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida. She currently resides in Salt Lake City, Utah. She has authored 2 books and 50 peer reviewed papers. 
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Rebecca Jimenez-Sanders, MD

Dr. Jimenez Sanders received her undergraduate degree from Emory University, and her medical degree from the San Juan Bautista School of Medicine in Puerto Rico. She completed her neurology residency at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, where she also did a specialized headache medicine and facial pain fellowship. She currently resides in Tampa, Florida with her husband and her two daughters. She is also fluent in Spanish and Italian languages, and enjoys photography, baking, boating, and biking.
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Cory Lamar, MD

Dr. Lamar received his medical degree from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. He completed his internship and residency at Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston Salem, North Carolina. Following residency, he completed a clinical fellowship in neurophysiology, with a concentration in epilepsy. He currently resides in Florida and enjoys outdoor activities.
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Clifford Meyers, MD

Dr. Meyers received his medical degree from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island and his MBA from the Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York. He completed his neurology residency at the University of Rochester, where he also did a neurophysiology fellowship. Dr. Meyers resides in Webster, New York with his wife and daughter. When not doing teleneurology, he enjoys playing sports with his wife and daughter.
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Tao Tong, MD

Dr. Tong received her medical degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine in Miami, Florida. She completed her neurology residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida, where she also did a neuromuscular/EMG fellowship.  She currently resides in College Station, Texas. Dr. Tong is married with two boys. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling and reading.
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Shubhangi Chumble, MD

Dr. Chumble attended BJ Medical School. She is a board certified neurologist with a subspeciality interest in sleep medicine. Dr. Chumble did her residency at Howard University in Washington DC and has practiced neurology since 2001 in private and corporate settings. She lives in Melbourne, Florida and loves the sunshine state. Her hobbies include yoga, meditation, cooking , traveling and meeting new people. She also loves to do stained glass, pottery and painting. She joined TeleSpecialists in June 2019.
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