Telehealth Dials Up the Talk on Payment and Providers

While the consensus is that telehealth is cresting as the wave of the future—expanding patients’ access to care, addressing the needs of today’s time-pressed, on-demand society—what’s still far from clear is how, or how much, providers will be paid for the service.

The new rules for Medicaid managed care and MACRA are telehealth-friendly, but for now, Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements are spotty, with Medicaid payment varying greatly from state to state. Similarly, commercial insurers seem to be warming up to telehealth, but there’s no consistency on what to pay for—or even whether to pay at all.