Kentucky is a frontrunner in the expansion of telemedicine! Kentucky is one of only two state Medicaid programs that allow chiropractors to bill for telemedicine. In 2019 Kentucky Medicaid also approved a patient’s home as an originating site!
The Telehealth Program is a new state program in
The program provides a repository of information and resources including state telehealth laws, policies and guidelines; answers to frequently asked questions; educational materials and webinars; statewide telehealth services directory; publications and journals; links to associations, organizations and professional licensure boards and other state and national programs and resources.
The program is one of five business units, along with the Cabinet Privacy Program, the Kentucky Health Benefit Exchange, the Kentucky Health Information Exchange (KHIE) and analytics for health and human services. Telehealth has the ability to work with the Cabinet Privacy Program dealing with HIPAA policies and procedures around the proper use and security for telehealth; with KHIE for providers to access clinical comprehensive care documents for telehealth services and with the analytics division to measure the value and effectiveness of telehealth.
If you’re a resident of Kentucky, you can take advantage of Kentucky’s expanded telehealth regulations that make finding virtual health services easier than ever. You can establish a physician-patient relationship virtually, not only with providers in the state of Kentucky but also with out-of-state practitioners through interstate compacts. This allows you to establish live, two-way video appointments with the provider of your choice in the comfort of your own home.
Kentucky’s licensure requirements are comparable to many other states. They state that health care professionals must be licensed in Kentucky to provide telehealth services. Kentucky has also made licensing easy for out-of-state practitioners to provide services by entering interstate licensure compacts. You can also obtain telemental services through telehealth appointments with both in-state and out-of-state providers.
To expedite the telehealth process for out-of-state doctors, Kentucky has joined the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB)’s Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. You can have telemental appointments with psychiatrists, therapists, and other mental health practitioners who practice in other states under these regulations. Kentucky is also a part of nursing and physical therapy compacts.
During COVID-19, Kentucky’s legislature passed a bill waiving the requirement for medical professionals to be licensed by state regulators to provide you with health care services. According to the law, the health emergency will continue until the governor decrees that it has ended, so there is no current expiration date for the COVID-19 health emergency.