On Tuesday, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett (R) announced that the state's Medicaid program now will cover more telehealth services from additional types of specialty physicians, Modern Healthcare reports (Lee, Modern Healthcare, 5/23).
Previous Services Covered
Pennsylvania's Medicaid program previously covered only consultations -- not other medical services -- provided via telehealth technology.
The program covered telehealth consultations with specialists in obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychology and psychopharmacology. It also required a referring physician to be present during the virtual meetings (Baum, MedCity News, 5/23).
New Expansion
Under the new expansion, which started Wednesday, Pennsylvania's Medicaid program now:
- Covers telehealth consultations with cardiologists and neurologists (Modern Healthcare, 5/23);
- Requires only a medical professional, such as a nurse, to be present during telehealth consultation; and
- Allows physicians to use telehealth meetings to diagnose patients, recommend and monitor treatment, order tests and prescribe medicine (MedCity News, 5/23).
Officials said the move aims to increase access to specialized care for individuals in remote rural areas (Modern Healthcare, 5/23).