Here is the good news about Kansas Telemedicine policy, Kansas implemented a parity law for telemedicine. However, even though the law establishes coverage parity, it permits the payers to establish their own reimbursement rules for telehealth services.
Effective with date of service on and after January 1, 2019, the Kansas Telemedicine Act will be enacted in accordance with Senate Substitute for House Bill No. 2028.
Definitions:
• “Distant site” means a site at which a healthcare provider is located while providing healthcare services by means of telemedicine.
• “Healthcare provider” means a physician, licensed physician assistant, licensed advanced practice registered nurse or person
licensed, registered, certified or otherwise authorized to practice by the behavioral sciences regulatory board.
• “Originating site” means a site at which a patient is located at the time healthcare services are provided by means of telemedicine.
• “Physician” means a person licensed to practice medicine and surgery by the state board of healing arts.
• “Telemedicine”, including “telehealth”, means the delivery of healthcare services or consultations while the patient is at an
originating site and the healthcare provider is at a distant site. Telemedicine will be provided by means of real-time, two-way
interactive audio, visual, or audio-visual communications, including the application of secure video conferencing or store-and-forward
technology to provide or support healthcare delivery, that facilitate the assessment, diagnosis, consultation, treatment, education, and
care management of a patient’s healthcare.
Telemedicine does not include communication between:
1. A healthcare provider that consists solely of a telephone voice-only conversation, email, or facsimile transmission.
2. A physician and a patient that consists solely of an email or facsimile transmission.
Requirements regarding the provision telemedicine services:
1. Telemedicine may be used to establish a valid provider-patient relationship.
2. The same standards of practice and conduct that apply to healthcare services delivered through personal contact also apply
to healthcare services delivered through telemedicine.
3. A person who is authorized by law to provide and provides telemedicine services to a patient must provide the patient with
guidance on appropriate follow-up care.
4. Except when otherwise prohibited by any other provision of law, when the patient consents and has a primary care or other treating
physician, the person providing telemedicine services will send within three business days a report to such primary care or other
treating physician of the treatment and services rendered to the patient in the telemedicine encounter.
Written consent for telehealth home services is required. See KS Dept. of Health and Environment, Kansas Medical Assistance Program, Provider Manual, General Benefits, p. 2-25
For Live Video: The Kansas Telemedicine Act requires that the Kansas Medical Assistance Program reimburse for live video. See parity law information below.
Store & Forward Reimbursement: Kansas Medicaid requires the patient to be present at the originating site, indicating that store and forward will not be reimbursed. See KS Dept. of Health and Environment, Kansas Medical Assistance Program, Provider Manual, General Benefits, p. 2-25
Eligible Practitioners: The Kansas Telemedicine Act states that ‘‘Healthcare provider’’ means a physician, licensed physician assistant, licensed advanced practice registered nurse or person licensed, registered, certified or otherwise authorized to practice by the behavioral sciences regulatory board. The act applies to Kansas Medical Assistance Programs.
See Definition of Telemedicine Sec 1(a-2)