NEW MEXICO TELEMEDICINE LAW
If you’re considering practicing telemedicine in New Mexico, you’ve made a wise decision! Across the board, New Mexico has some of the most comprehensive and supportive telemedicine policies in the country.
Parity Law
New Mexico enacted their telemedicine parity law in 2013! This means private payers in Mexico are required to reimburse for telemedicine services in the same way they would cover comparable in-person medical services.
Type of Telemedicine Covered
In New Mexico, telemedicine is defined as both interactive 2-way video and store-and-forward technology. New Mexico Managed Care reimburses for both kinds of telemedicine.
Covered Health Services
New Mexico covers one of the widest ranges of telemedicine health services in the nation, including:
services from behavioral analysts
services by addicition/substance abuse specialists
counseling services
social work services
home rehabilitative services
According to the ATA’s State Telemedicine Gap Analysis Guide:
“[Under Medicaid] all services are covered via telemedicine including school-based, dental, home health, hospice, and rehabilitation.
Under New Mexico Medicaid, there is no coverage for phone calls, remote patient monitoring, skilled nursing, or therapies under the home health benefit.
Eligible Providers
Great news! New Mexico Medicaid doesn’t place any restrictions on which providers can bill for telemedicine.
Online Prescriptions
Physicians must establish a patient-physician relationship before prescribing, which can be done online during a live video exam. Before writing a prescription, the practitioner must obtain a medical history and informed consent, generate a medical record, and (if it is appropriate for the condition) perform a physical examination.
Informed Patient Consent
New Mexico does not require getting a patient’s consent before a telemedicine visit. However, we recommend doing this anyway as a telemedicine best practice. You can find the recommended patient consent form here.
Cross-State Telemedicine Licensing
The state of New Mexico issues telemedicine licenses to providers who hold a full license in another state and meet New Mexico standards for “good moral character.”
Restrictions on Locations
More wonderful news on New Mexico Medicaid: there is no specific requirement on where the patient needs to be located at the time of service.
Reimbursement Rates
New Mexico has true parity for telemedicine. All fees paid for telehealth must be equivalent to in-person rates.
Helpful Resources
Southwest Telehealth Resource Center
New Mexico Telehealth Alliance