Page 25 50 State Telemedicine Gaps Analysis Coverage and Reimbursement

50 State Telemedicine Gaps Analysis: Coverage & Reimbursement

of vital signs or automated or phone-based check-ups of physical and mental well-being. The
approach used for each patient should be tailored to the patient’s needs and coordinated with the
patient’s care plan.

For this report, we measured components of state Medicaid policies that broaden or restrict the
types of providers allowed to perform the telemedicine encounter and services covered for home
health services.

Scale – Medicaid: Home Health
A 6+ points
B 4-5 points
C 2-3 points
F ≤ 1 point

Alaska is the only state with the highest ranking for telemedicine provided services under the
home health benefit (Figure 14).

Figure 14

Of the 25 states that cover home telemedicine, only Arizona, Alaska, Delaware, Kentucky,
Maine, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Tennessee reimburse for telerehabilitative services within
the home health benefit, even though the same services are covered when provided in-person.
Additionally, Pennsylvania is the only state that will cover telemedicine in the home when
provided by a caregiver.

Seventy-two percent of the country ranked the lowest with failing (F) scores due to a lack of
telemedicine services covered under the home health benefit.

Page | 20
American Telemedicine Association
2015