I. It is the intent of this section to recognize the application of telehealth for covered services provided within the scope of practice of a physician or other health care provider as a method of delivery of medical care by which an individual at an originating site shall receive medical services which are clinically appropriate for delivery through telehealth from a health care provider at a distant site without in-person contact with the provider.
II. In this section:
(a)"Telehealth services" shall comply with 42 C.F.R. section 410.78, except for 42 C.F.R. section 410.78(b)(4). The use of the term "telemedicine" shall comply with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services requirements governing the aforementioned telehealth services.
(b)"Distant site" means the location of the he
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I. It is the intent of this section to recognize the application of telehealth for covered services provided within the scope of practice of a physician or other health care provider as a method of delivery of medical care by which an individual at an originating site shall receive medical services which are clinically appropriate for delivery through telehealth from a health care provider at a distant site without in-person contact with the provider.
II. In this section:
(a) "Telehealth services" shall comply with 42 C.F.R. section 410.78, except for 42 C.F.R. section 410.78(b)(4). The use of the term "telemedicine" shall comply with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services requirements governing the aforementioned telehealth services.
(b) "Distant site" means the location of the health care provider delivering services through telemedicine at the time the services are provided.
(c) "Doorways" means the statewide points of entry for the delivery of substance use services.
(d) "Originating site" means the location of the patient, whether or not accompanied by a health care provider, at the time services are provided by a health care provider through telemedicine, including, but not limited to, a health care provider's office, a hospital, or a health care facility, or the patient's home or another nonmedical environment such as a school-based health center, a university-based health center, or the patient's workplace.
(e) "Remote patient monitoring" means the use of electronic technology to remotely monitor a patient's health status through the collection and interpretation of clinical data while the patient remains at an originating site. Remote patient monitoring may or may not take place in real time. Remote patient monitoring shall include assessment, observation, education and virtual visits provided by all covered providers including licensed home health care providers.
(f) "Store and forward," as it pertains to telemedicine and as an exception to 42 C.F.R. section 410.78, means the use of asynchronous electronic communications between a patient at an originating site and a health care service provider at a distant site for the purpose of diagnostic and therapeutic assistance in the care of patients. This includes the forwarding and/or transfer of stored medical data from the originating site to the distant site through the use of any electronic device that records data in its own storage and forwards its data to the distant site via telecommunication for the purpose of diagnostic and therapeutic assistance.
III. (a) Coverage under this section shall include the use of telehealth or telemedicine for Medicaid-covered services provided within the scope of practice of a physician or other health care provider as a method of delivery of medical care:
(1) Which is an appropriate application of telehealth services provided by physicians and other health care providers, as determined by the department based on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regulations, and also including persons providing psychotherapeutic services as provided in He-M 426.08 and 426.09;
(2) By which telemedicine services for primary care and remote patient monitoring shall only be covered in the event that the patient has already established care at an originating site via face-to-face in-person service. A provider shall not be required to establish care via face-to-face in-person service when:
(a) The provider is a Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) practitioner or VA-contracted practitioner not required to obtain a special registration pursuant to 21 U.S.C. section 831(h);
(b) The patient is being treated by, and is physically located in a correctional facility administered by the state of New Hampshire or a New Hampshire county;
(c) The patient is being treated by, and is physically located in a doorway as defined in RSA 167:4-d, II(c);
(d) The patient is being treated by and is physically located in a state designated community mental health center pursuant to RSA 135; or
(e) The patient is being treated by, and physically located in, a hospital or clinic registered in a manner fully consistent with 21 U.S.C. section 823(f); and
(3) By which an individual shall receive medical services from a physician or other health care provider who is an enrolled Medicaid provider without in-person contact with that provider.
(b) The Medicaid program shall provide coverage and reimbursement for health care services provided through telemedicine on the same basis as the Medicaid program provides coverage and reimbursement for health care services provided in person.
(c) The combined amount of reimbursement that the Medicaid program allows for the compensation to the distant site and the originating site shall not be less that the total amount allowed for health care services provided in person.
(d) There shall be no restriction on eligible originating or distant sites for telehealth services. An originating site means the location of the member at the time the service is being furnished via a telecommunication system. A distant site means the location of the provider at the time the service is being furnished via a telecommunication system.
(e) The Medicaid program shall provide reimbursement for all modes of telehealth, including video and audio, audio-only, or other electronic media provided by medical providers to treat all members for all medically necessary services.
(f) Medical providers below shall be allowed to perform health care services through the use of all modes of telehealth, including video and audio, audio-only, or other electronic media. Medical providers include, but are not limited to, the following:
(1) Physicians and physician associates, governed by RSA 329 and RSA 328-D;
(2) Advanced practice nurses, governed by RSA 326-B and registered nurses under RSA 326-B employed by home health care providers under RSA 151:2-b;
(3) Midwives, governed by RSA 326-D;
(4) Psychologists, governed by RSA 329-B;
(5) Allied health professionals, governed by RSA 328-F;
(6) Dentists, governed by RSA 317-A;
(7) Mental health practitioners governed by RSA 330-A;
(8) Community mental health providers employed by community mental health programs pursuant to RSA 135-C:7;
(9) Alcohol and other drug use professionals, governed by RSA 330-C;
(10) Dietitians, governed by RSA 326-H; and
(11) Professionals certified by the national behavior analyst certification board or persons performing services under the supervision of a person certified by the national behavior analyst certification board.
(g) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the Medicaid program from providing coverage for only those services that are medically necessary and subject to all other terms and conditions of the coverage. Services delivered through telehealth under this section shall comply with all applicable state and federal law or regulation as allowed by the Medicaid program. Any conflict with the provisions of this section and federal law or regulation shall preempt and supersede any provision of this section.
IV. This section shall be conditioned upon review and approval of a state plan amendment submitted by the department to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as deemed necessary.
IV-a. With written consent of the patient receiving medication assisted treatment through telehealth services provided under this section, the health care provider shall provide notification of the patient's medication assisted treatment to the doorway, as defined in RSA 167:4-d, II(c), within the region where the patient resides.
V. The department shall adopt rules, pursuant to RSA 541-A, necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.