The American Telemedicine Association (ATA), a leading international resource and advocate promoting the use of advanced remote medical technologies, recently released two state policy reports which identify gaps in coverage and reimbursement, and in physician practice standards and licensure.
These reports compare state policies on a report card, assigning each state grades ranging from A-to-F based on telemedicine reimbursement and physician practice standards. ATA has captured the complex policy landscape of 50 states with differing telemedicine policies and translated the data into an easy-to-use format.
“We hope these reports serve a dual purpose: to showcase the states that are doing an excellent job when it comes to telemedicine, and to serve as a wake-up call to those who are failing to extend quality and affordable care to the residents of their state,” says Jonathan Linkous, CEO of ATA. “We hope that states will respond by streamlining policies to improve medical practice rules, licensure, healthcare quality, and reduce costs through accelerated telemedicine adoption.”
Coverage & reimbursement
The first report, 50 State Telemedicine Gaps Analysis – Coverage & Reimbursement, is based on a review and comparison of telemedicine coverage and reimbursement standards for every state in the U.S., using 13 indicators related to coverage and reimbursement.
The analysis reveals that decades of evidence-based research highlighting positive clinical outcomes and increasing telemedicine utilization have been met by a mix of reactions from those who develop state-based policy.
With regard to payment and service delivery options that enable telemedicine adoption, seven states received the highest possible composite score suggesting a supportive policy landscape that accommodates telemedicine adoption. Those states with the highest scores include: Maryland, Maine, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Tennessee, and Virginia.
States receiving the lowest possible composite score include: Connecticut, Iowa, and Rhode Island.
Physician practice standards & licensure
The second report, 50 State Telemedicine Gaps Analysis – Physician Practice Standards & Licensure, is based on a review and comparison of physician practice standards and licensure for telemedicine for every state in the U.S.
The review of state laws and medical board standards regarding telemedicine finds 23 states and D.C. have the highest possible composite score suggesting a supportive policy landscape that accommodates telemedicine adoption and usage. These states include:
Colorado
Connecticut
District of Columbia
Delaware
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Maine
Maryland
Minnesota
Montana
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
Ohio
Oregon
South Carolina
Tennessee
Utah
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Alabama received a C, the lowest composite score of all the states.
Both reports, which include research methodology and state-specific report cards, may be downloaded at the ATA website: Click here to download
