07/18/2018
LeadingAge Ohio Re-Submits Comments on ODM Telehealth Rule
As reported in The Source, the Ohio Department of Medicaid is looking to expand the telehealth rules. LeadingAge Ohio submitted comments to ODM on the draft rule in advance of the June 14 stakeholder meeting. Following the stakeholder meeting and based on feedback from LeadingAge Ohio’s Advocacy and SNF/AL and Hospice/HH subcommittees, LeadingAge Ohio re-submitted comments on ODM’s revised draft rules. Key points from LeadingAge Ohio’s comments include:
- No restriction on the physical location of the practitioner offering services via telehealth, which would include a residential care facility and an individual’s home.
- Expansion of the definition of telehealth to be inclusive of telemonitoring devices, which may or may not have audio/visual components, or the creation of a separate rule which defines telemonitoring services, as well as a system for reimbursement for telemonitoring.
- Support for the inclusion of physician assistant, clinical nurse specialist, certified nurse midwife, and certified nurse practitioner; with the addition of Licensed Independent Social Workers (LISWs) and Pharmacists.
- Amendment of the rule to stipulate “Originating sites, as defined in Administrative Rule 5160-1-18 (A) (2) are paid an originating site facility fee for telehealth services as described by HCPCS code Q3014, except for patients admitted to an inpatient hospital.”
- Removal of the five-mile requirement from the rule.
For more information on the telehealth rules, contact Susan Wallace at swallace@leadingageohio.org.