INDIANA TELEMEDICINE LAW
Great News! Effective July 1, 2015, Indiana telemedicine parity legislation has gone into effect. Indiana’s law also makes it unnecessary for healthcare providers offering telemedicine services to obtain written consent for use of telemedicine.
A pilot program approved by the Indiana Board of Medicine in April allows Indiana residents to access telemedicine without first having an in-person encounter with the telemedicine provider, although Indiana hasn’t formally changed its rule regarding telemedicine without a prior in-person visit. However, based on the results of the pilot program, it is likely that the rule will be formally changed in the next few months.
Ready to find out more about Indiana’s telemedicine policy? Check out our state guide below!
Parity Law
Effective July 1, 2015, Indiana now has a telemedicine parity law! This means private payers have to cover telemedicine visits the same way as in-person visits.
Type of Telemedicine Covered
Covered forms of telehealth include interactive audio-video and remote patient monitoring related to in-home care for elderly patients.
Covered Health Services
Live video telemedicine will be covered when services are medically necessary and hub and spoke are 20 miles apart:
Consultation
Office Visit
Psychotherapy
Psychiatric diagnostic interview
End-stage renal disease (ESRD) services
Pharmacologic management
Billing Codes
Need a list of the eligible Indiana Medicaid codes for telemedicine? We’ve got you covered:
99201 – 99205 and 99211 – 99215, Office or other outpatient visit
90832 – 90834, 90836-90840, 90846-9084 and 90853, Psychotherapy
90791 and 90792, Psychiatric diagnostic interview
90951 – 90970, End-stage renal disease (ESRD) services
Spoke services are reimbursed using HCPCS code Q3014, Telehealth originating site facility fee.
Don’t forget your GT modifier! Providers must use the GT modifier to denote telemedicine services.
Want more details? Check out the Indiana State Medicaid Manual
Informed Patient Consent
Indiana state law does not require health providers to get an additional written patient consent for telemedicine. However, if you’re billing through Indiana Medicaid, you will need to get patient consent.
Restrictions on Locations
Indiana Medicaid reimburses telehealth the following locations regardless of the distance between provider and patient:
FQHC
Rural Health Clinic
Community Mental Health Centers
Critical Access Hospital
Documenting Barriers to In-Person Care
There must be documentation in the patient’s medical record to support the need for the provider’s presence at the spoke site. The documentation is subject to post-payment review.
Other Reimbursable Fees
Spoke sites are reimbursed a facility fee.
Reimbursement Rates
Telehealth reimbursement rates for Indiana are the same as for in-person services.
Helpful Resources
Center for Connected Health Policy – Indiana State Page
Upper Midwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center.
The American Telemedicine Association State Policy Matrix
Indiana Rural Health Association