Page 57 State Telehealth Laws and Reimbursement Policies A Comprehensive Scan of the 50 States and District of Columbia

Center for Connected Health Policy

Illinois

Medicaid Program: Illinois Medicaid

Program Administrator: Illinois Dept. of Healthcare and Family Services

Regional Telehealth Resource Center:
Upper Midwest Telehealth Resource Center
2901 Ohio Boulevard, Ste. 110
Terre Haute, IN 47803
(855) 283-3734 ext. 232
www.umtrc.org

STATE LAW/REGULATIONS MEDICAID PROGRAM

Definition of telemedicine/telehealth
The Medical Practice Act of 1987 defines ‘telemedicine’ “Telemedicine” is the use of a telecommunication
as “the performance of diagnosing patients, prescribing system to provide medical services for the purpose of
drugs, maintaining a medical office, etc., including but evaluation and treatment when the patient is at one
not limited to rendering written or oral opinions medical provider location and the rendering provider is
concerning diagnosis or treatment of a patient in Illinois at another location.
by a person located outside the State of Illinois as a
result of transmission of individual patient data by Source: IL Admin. Code, Title 89 ,140.403 (2012).
telephonic, electronic, or other means of communication
from within this State.” “Telehealth is defined as the use of a telecommunication
system to provide medical services between places of
Source: IL Compiled Statutes, Chapter 225, 60/49.5 (2012). lesser and greater medical capability and/or expertise,
for the purpose of evaluation and treatment. Medical
The Administrative Code for the Department of data exchanged can take the form of multiple formats:
Healthcare and Family Services defines ‘telemedicine’ text, graphics, still images, audio and video. The
as “the use of a telecommunication system to provide information or data exchanged can occur in real time
medical services for the purpose of evaluation and (synchronous) through interactive video or multimedia
treatment when the patient is at one medical provider collaborative environments or in near real time
location and the rendering provider is at another (asynchronous) through “store and forward”
location.” applications.”

Source: IL Admin. Code, Title 89 ,140.403 (2012). Source: IL Dept. of Healthcare and Family Svcs., Expansion of
Telehealth Services, Informational Notice, Jan. 1, 2010.
Under the Department of Public Health, telemedicine http://www.hfs.illinois.gov/html/011210n2.html,
means the provision of clinical services to patients by
physicians and practitioners from a distance via Source: IL Dept. of Healthcare and Family Svcs., Handbook for
Practitioners. Ch. A-200 Policy and Procedures, p. 37.
electronic communications.

Source: IL Admin. Code, Title 77, Sec. 250.310

(also see Medicaid column)

Live Video Reimbursement
Occupational therapy may be provided by telehealth as Illinois Medicaid will reimburse for live video under the
long as the standard of care is the same as in person following conditions:
care.
• A physician or other licensed health care
Source: IL Statute, 225 ILCS 75/2. (Sunsets on Jan. 1, 2024). professional must be present with the patient at all
(see Medicaid column) times with the patient at the originating site;
• The distant site provider must be a physician,
physician assistant, podiatrist or advanced practice

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