Page 145 State Telehealth Laws and Reimbursement Policies A Comprehensive Scan of the 50 States and District of Columbia

Center for Connected Health Policy

Oklahoma

Medicaid Program: SoonerCare

Medicaid Program Administrator: Oklahoma Health Care Authority

Regional Telehealth Resource Center:
Heartland Telehealth Resource Center
3901 Rainbow Blvd MS 1048
Kansas City, KS 66160
(877) 643-4872
heartlandtrc.org

STATE LAW/REGULATIONS MEDICAID PROGRAM
Definition of telemedicine/telehealth
"Telemedicine means the practice of health care "Telehealth means the use of telecommunication
delivery, diagnosis, consultation, treatment, including but technologies for clinical care (telemedicine), patient
not limited to, the treatment and prevention of strokes, teaching and home health, health professional education
transfer of medical data, or exchange of medical (distance learning), administrative and program
education information by means of audio, video, or data planning, and other diverse aspects of a health care
communications. Telemedicine is not a consultation delivery system.”
provided by telephone or facsimile machine.”
Source: OK Admin. Code Sec. 317:30-3-27.
Source: OK Statutes, Title 36, Sec. 6802.
"Telemedicine means the practice of health care
"Telemedicine means the practice of health care delivery, diagnosis, consultation and treatment and the
delivery, diagnosis, consultation, treatment, including but transfer of medical data through interactive audio, video
not limited to, the treatment and prevention of strokes, or data communications that occur in the real-time or
transfer of medical data, or exchange of medical near real-time and in the physical presence of the
education information by means of audio, video, or data member.”
communications. Telemedicine is not a consultation
provided by telephone, facsimile machine nor does it Source: OK Admin. Code Sec. 317:30-3-27 (b)(8).
include administrative applications such as billing,
contracted services, security systems, etc.” Telemedicine is the communication between an
approved specialist and a SoonerCare member either by
Source: OK Admin Code Title 165: 59-1-4 & 435:10-1-4. audio, video, or data interaction.

This definition excludes phone or Internet contact or Source: Health Care Authority, Providers, Telemedicine
prescribing and other forms of communication, such as http://okhca.org/providers.aspx?id=10014 (accessed Jan. 15,
2015).
web-based video, that might occur between parties that
does not meet the equipment requirements as specified
in OAC 435:10-7-13 and therefore requires an actual
face-to-face encounter.

Source: OK Admin Code Title 435:10-1-4.

(also see Medicaid column)
Live Video Reimbursement

Oklahoma statute requires coverage of telemedicine SoonerCare (Oklahoma’s Medicaid program)
services, which includes live video, by health care reimburses for live video if the health care provider
service plans, disability insurer programs, workers’ determines the service to be appropriately provided via
compensation programs, and state Medicaid managed telemedicine. This applies to health care service plans,
care program contracts, subject to contract terms and disability insurer programs, workers’ compensation

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