LOUISIANA TELEMEDICINE LAW
LOUISIANA IS ON THE ROAD TO BETTER TELEMEDICINE ACCESS WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE LOUISIANA TELEHEALTH ACCESS ACT IN 2014. THE STATE OF LOUISIANA DEFINITELY RECOGNIZES HOW TELEMEDICINE IS ABLE TO PROVIDE HEALTHCARE SERVICES TO MORE PATIENTS AT A LOWER COST.
READY TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT LOUISIANA’S TELEMEDICINE POLICY? CHECK OUT OUR STATE GUIDE BELOW!
Parity Law
Louisiana passed their first private payer parity law in 1995, requiring private payers to cover telemedicine in the same way as in-person medical services. The law limits required coverage to physicians only.
Type of Telemedicine Covered
Lousiana Medicaid currently covers live video telemedicine. There’s no coverage yet for store-and-forward telemedicine or remote home monitoring.
Covered Health Services
Louisiana’s Medicaid program covers a range of health services, such as:
· Physician Services
· Services and Supplies Incident to a Physician’s Professional Services
· Physician Assistant Services
· Nurse Practitioner and Nurse Midwife Services
· Services and Supplies Incident to Physician Assistant, Nurse Practitioner and Nurse
· Midwife Services
· Visiting Nurse Services
· Clinical Psychologist Services
· Clinical Social Worker Services
· Services and Supplies Incident to the Services of Clinical Psychologists and
· Clinical Social Workers
· Basic Lab Services
· Diabetes Self-Management Training
Want more details? Check out the Louisiana State Medicaid Provider Manual
Eligible Healthcare Providers
Licensed physicians in Louisiana are eligible to bill Medicaid for telemedicine services.
Online Prescriptions
That state of Louisiana prohibits providers from prescribing controlled dangerous substances to patients without first doing a physical exam or taking an in-person patient history.
Informed Patient Consent
Some states require providers to get a patient’s informed consent specifically for a telemedicine visit. Informed patient consent is required in Louisiana to do a telemedicine visit.
You can read more about how to do telemedicine informed consent here.
Interstate Telemedicine Licensing
Out-of-state doctors have the option of applying for a full license or a telemedicine permit to practice in Louisiana. Louisiana is not part of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact.
Helpful Resources
Center for Connected Health Policy – Louisiana State Page
TexLa Telehealth Resource Center
The American Telemedicine Association State Policy Matrix
Louisiana Rural Health Information Exchange
Lake Charles Memorial Healthcare