National Governors Association Memorandum to Governors on Telehealth and State Licensure Requirements
On March 20 and 24, the National Governors Association (NGA) issued memorandum to State Governors on “Gubernatorial Strategies for Telehealth” and “Gubernatorial Strategies for Health Care Workforce and Facility Capacity.”
The first memo noted the many state actions that have already been taken to increase access to telehealth services – including increasing the types of reimbursable covered services, reducing consumer costs, reducing participation requirements and barriers for providers, and increasing the modalities trough which services may be offered via telehealth. It also provided several recommendations for Governors to consider:
- Ensuring that individuals have coverage of telehealth services with limited or no cost sharing for those services.
- Waiving state specific professional licensure requirements or granting temporary licenses to enable cross-state in-person or telehealth services in states that have declared a state of emergency and activating the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC).
- Coordinating with health systems and hospitals to ensure capacity and capabilities to deliver telehealth services.
- Streamlining and simplifying provider participation in telehealth.
- Expanding how and where telemedicine can be delivered and still qualify for reimbursement.
- Facilitating continued access for individuals receiving medication-assisted treatment (MAT)
The second memo recommended that Governor’s respond to workforce challenges by:
- Expanding access to out-of-state licensed health care providers and telehealth.
- Maintaining and increasing the number of providers by easing in-state licensure requirements.
- Using state emergency funding to support enhanced training and recruitment efforts.
The Alliance for Connected Care is pleased to contribute to this effort. Please see the full document below:
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