Page 79 State Telehealth Laws and Reimbursement Policies A Comprehensive Scan of the 50 States and District of Columbia

Center for Connected Health Policy

Louisiana

Medicaid Program: Louisiana Medicaid

Program Administrator: LA Dept. of Health and Hospitals

Regional Telehealth Resource Center:
TexLa Telehealth Resource Center
th
3601 4 Street, Ste. 2B440
Lubbock, TX 79430
(806) 743-4440
http://www.texlatrc.org

STATE LAW/REGULATIONS MEDICAID PROGRAM

Definition of telemedicine/telehealth
“Telemedicine is the practice of health care delivery, “Telemedicine is the use of medical information
diagnosis, consultation, treatment, and transfer of exchanges from one site to another via electronic
medical data using interactive telecommunication communications to improve a recipient’s health.
technology that enables a health care practitioner and a Electronic communication means the use of interactive
patient at two locations separated by distance to interact telecommunications equipment that includes, at a
via two-way video and audio transmissions minimum, audio and video equipment permitting two-
simultaneously. Neither a telephone conversation nor an way, real time interactive communication between the
electronic mail message between a health care patient at the originating site, and the physician or
practitioner and patient, or a true consultation as may be practitioner at the distant site.”
defined by rules promulgated by the board pursuant to
the Administrative Procedure Act, constitutes Source: LA Dept. of Health and Hospitals, Professional Svcs.
telemedicine.” Provider Manual, Chapter Five of the Medicaid Svcs. Manual, p.
156 (As revised on Aug. 21, 2014).
Source: LA Revised Statutes 37:1262 (2012).

Telehealth means a mode of delivering healthcare
services that utilizes information and communication
technologies to enable the diagnosis, consultation,
treatment, education, care management and self-
management of patients at a distance from healthcare
providers. Telehealth allows services to be accessed
when providers are in a distant site and patients are in
the originating site. Telehealth facilitates patient self-
management and caregiver support for patients and
includes synchronous interactions and asynchronous
store and forward transfers.

Source: LA Revised Statutes HB 1280 (2014) & Title 40 Sec.
1300.383.

Live Video Reimbursement
Louisiana law requires reimbursement to the originating Louisiana Medicaid reimburses for “services provided
site physician for a live video consultation if he/she is via an interactive audio and video telecommunications
physically present during the exam and interacts with system.”
the distant-site physician. (See “Private Payers” section
below) Source: LA Register, Volume 31, 2032 (2012).

Louisiana Medicaid only reimburses the distant site
Source: LA Revised Statutes 22:1821 (2012). provider.

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