Page 185 State Telehealth Laws and Reimbursement Policies A Comprehensive Scan of the 50 States and District of Columbia

Center for Connected Health Policy

Washington

Medicaid Program: Washington Medicaid

Medicaid Program Administrator: Washington State Health Care Authority

Regional Telehealth Resource Center:
Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center
th
2900 12 Ave. N., Ste. 30W
Billings, MT 59101
(888) 662-5601
www.nrtrc.org

STATE LAW/REGULATIONS MEDICAID PROGRAM
Definition of telemedicine/telehealth
“Telemedicine means the use of tele-monitoring to “Telemedicine is when a health care practitioner uses
enhance the delivery of certain home health skilled interactive real-time audio and video
nursing services through: telecommunications to deliver covered services that are
within his or her scope of practice to a client at a site
• The collection of clinical data and the other than the site where the provider is located.”
transmission of such data between a patient at a
distant location and the home health provider Source: WA State Health Care Authority, Medicaid Provider
through electronic processing technologies. Guide, Physician-Related Svcs./Health Care Professional Svcs., p.
45 (Jan. 1, 2015).
Objective clinical data that may be transmitted
includes, but is not limited to, weight, blood
pressure, pulse, respirations, blood glucose,
and pulse oximetry;
• The provision of certain education related to
health care services using audio, video, or data
communication instead of a face-to-face visit.”

Source: WA Admin. Code Sec. 182-551-2010.

“Telehealth means providing physical therapy via
electronic communication where the physical therapist
or physical therapist assistant and the patient are not at
the same physical location.”

Source: WA Admin. Code Sec. 246-915-187.

Emergency Rule (Expires 4/22/15)
Telemedicine is when a health care practitioner uses
HIPAA-compliant, interactive, real-time audio and video
telecommunications (including web-based applications)
to deliver covered services that are within his or her
scope of practice to a client at a site other than the site
where the provider is located. Using telemedicine
enables the health care practitioner and the client to
interact in real-time communication as if they were
having a face-to-face session. Telemedicine allows
clients, particularly those in medically underserved areas
of the state, improved access to essential health care
services that may not otherwise be available without
traveling long distances.

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