State Telemedicine Policy Information
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Delaware Telemedicine Policy
Delaware Telemedicine Policy
Delaware is steadily improving when it comes to their telemedicine policies. The state passed a parity law in March of 2018 which requires private payers to reimburse telemedicine visits at the same rate as in-person visits.
State Policy Overview
Medicaid
Yes
Private Payer
Yes
Parity
Yes
Additional State Telemedicine Info
Parity Laws
Delaware passed a telemedicine parity law in March of 2018 that requires private payers to reimburse live video telemedicine the same way as in-person visits.
Medicaid
Delaware’s Medicaid program defines telemedicine as “the use of medical or behavioral health info exchanged by an electronic interactive (two-way, real-time) telecommunications system intended to improve the patient’s health.” This means that the program covers live video telemedicine, but not store-and-forward.
Type Of Telemedicine Covered
Private payers and Delaware’s Medicaid program cover live video telemedicine.
Covered Health Services
Delaware Medicaid reimburses all telemedicine services covered under the Medicaid State Plan for regular in-person services.
Eligible Healthcare Providers
- Physician
- Nurse practitioner
- A physician assistant (under the physician’s supervision)
- Nurse-midwife
- Psychologist
- Clinical social worker
- Professional Counselor of Mental Health
- Speech Language Therapists
- Audiologists
Online Prescriptions
Delaware law prohibits providers from prescribing medication without a prior patient-provider relationship. If there is an established relation, providers can prescribe medication, including controlled substances.
Informed Patient Consent
Delaware providers need to get a patient’s informed consent in order to establish a doctor-patient relationship over telemedicine.
Cross-State Telemedicine Licensing
Delaware is not currently part of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact.
Restrictions On Locations
Many state Medicaid programs require patients to be at an eligible originating (host) site. In Delaware’s case, the patient’s home, day program, or a similar alternative qualifies as an appropriate place for the telemedicine visit.
Reimbursement Rates
Delaware requires private payers to cover telemedicine services at the same rate as in-person services.
Billing Codes
When billing for telemedicine, use the appropriate CPT/HCPCS procedural code and add a GT modifier (to indicate the service occurred via interactive audio and video telecommunication system).
Want more details? Check out the Delaware State Medicaid Manual.