Hawaii Gov. David Ige (D) signed into law a bill requiring Medicaid to cover healthcare services delivered through telehealth.
The bill requires Medicaid managed care and fee-for-service programs to be reimbursed at the same rate services would receive if the consultation had been face to face. It also clarifies there are no restrictions on originating site requirements for telehealth services, meaning the patient can be in his or her home or another non-medical environment.
Gov. Ige said the bill will help relieve the physician shortage Hawaii faces: A 2014 workforce assessment found the state will likely face a shortage of 800 full-time physicians by 2020.
"This is so significant for Hawaii," Deborah Birkmire-Peters, PhD, a senior scientist with the John A. Burns School of Medicine, said in a statement. "Hawai'i now has one of the most progressive and comprehensive telehealth laws in the country."
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