KHA was successful in achieving favorable amendments to the Medicaid telehealth regulation. The Department for Medicaid Services (DMS) has issued revisions to its proposed regulation on telehealth service coverage and reimbursement.

KHA is very pleased that the regulation maintains payment parity. DMS will pay for telehealth services at 100% of the amount payable for an in-person service. Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs) must reimburse the same amount as the department unless the MCO and provider have negotiated a different rate. DMS made several changes to their proposed rule in response to comments from KHA and other organizations.

A copy of the revised rule is available at http://www.new-kyha.com/Portals/5/NewsDocs/907KAR3_170.pdf. The revised rule must be reviewed by two legislative committees before it becomes final and effective which should occur by early November.

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KHA submitted comments on proposed changes to 907 KAR 3:170 establishing payment rules for Medicaid coverage of telehealth services. Due to a filing error, 907 KAR 3:170 was withdrawn. As a result of this error, the Statement of Consideration of received comments will not be prepared or filed.

This administrative regulation will be refiled before July 1, 2019. DMS has shared that that several parts of the administrative regulation will be changed from the previous version, some reflecting comments received from KHA and members.

KHA is pleased with these anticipated improvements and will keep the membership updated.

If you have any questions, contact Elizabeth G. Cobb, MPH at KHA (ecobb@kyha.com).

Registration is now open for the Third Annual Kentucky Telehealth Summit, May 23 at the Knicely Conference Center at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green.

The agenda includes:

Technology-assisted Remote Patient Monitoring of chronically ill patients in their home Guidelines to starting a clinical telehealth Service Project ECHO in Kentucky Telehealth in Primary Care Telehealth in behavioral health And much more Registration information...

Save the date for the Third Annual Kentucky Telehealth Summit on May 23. The Summit will be at the Knicely Conference Center at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green.

The Summit is presented by the Kentucky Office of Rural Health (https://ruralhealth.med.uky.edu/kentucky-office-rural-health).

KHA is conducting a comprehensive survey of current telehealth resource capacity and needs in Kentucky hospitals and other outpatient facilities. The KHA Strategic Planning Committee and Board of Trustees have enlisted KHA to conduct the study with the goal of understanding the current available resources in the commonwealth as well as the telehealth needs.

The data will be used in a number of ways:

KHREF will host a webinar on Telemedicine Coding, Billing and Compliance on March 8 at 1:30 p.m. (ET). Telemedicine services continue to grow both in volume and breadth of coverage, and much of the guidance for telemedicine or telehealth services comes from the Medicare program. However, program changes occur almost every year, so it can be a challenge to make sure your staff is faithfully following the latest Medicare guidelines and regulations. This webinar will help your team decipher the rules and regulations to ensure your hospital stays in compliance.

View the brochure for program details and registration information.