Page 130 State Telehealth Laws and Reimbursement Policies A Comprehensive Scan of the 50 States and District of Columbia
P. 130
Center for Connected Health Policy
New York
Medicaid Program: New York Medicaid
Medicaid Program Administrator: New York State Dept. of Health
Regional Telehealth Resource Center
Northeast Telehealth Resource Center
11 Parkwood Drive
Augusta, ME 04330
(207) 622-7566 / (800) 379-2021
www.netrc.org
* Note: Although Governor Cuomo signed SB 7852 (landmark legislation regarding coverage of certain
telemedicine/telehealth services by private payers and the state’s Medicaid program) on December 29, 2014, it was
accompanied by Approval Memo 35. The Approval Memo made his approval contingent on a chapter amendment
to address several concerns he had with the bill, including its effective date and that the bill’s language may obligate
insurers to provide coverage for services via telehealth, even when those services are not covered under the
patient’s existing contract or policies.
The language currently existing in SB 7852, and signed into law under Chapter 550 of the NY Laws of 2014, will be
superseded by the chapter amendment if and when it is signed into law retroactively. In the meantime, the
Department of Health will not enforce the provisions of SB 7852 due to the pending amendment. AB 2552-A and
SB 2405 were recently introduced into the 2015 legislative session to clarify SB 7852’s language and address the
Governor’s concerns. CCHP will update its Medicaid manual in regards to the provisions in the new bill, once the
required chapter amendment passes.
STATE LAW/REGULATIONS MEDICAID PROGRAM
Definition of telemedicine/telehealth
Related to Credentialing and Privileging health care “Telemedicine is the use of interactive audio and video
practitioners providing telemedicine telecommunications technology to support "real time"
“Telemedicine means the delivery of clinical health care interactive patient care and consultations between
services by means of real time two-way electronic audio- healthcare practitioners and patients at a distance. The
visual communications which facilitate the assessment, distant site or "hub" is where the medical specialist
diagnosis, consultation, treatment, education, care providing the consultation or service is located. The
management and self management of a patient's health originating site or "spoke" is where the referring health
care, while such patient is at the originating site and the professional and patient are located.”
health care provider is at a distant site.”
Source: NY Dept. of Health, 2011 DOH Medicaid Updates, Volume
Source: NY Consolidated Law Service Public Health Sec. 2805-u. 27
enforced)*
The term “telehealth” means delivering health care
services by means of information and communications
technologies consisting of telephones, remote patient
monitoring devices or other electronic means which
facilitate the assessment, diagnosis, consultation,
treatment, education, care management and self
management of a patient’s health care while such
patient is at the originating site and the health care
provider is at a distant site.
The term “telemedicine” means the delivery of clinical
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