March 30, 2021
The House Health Committee passed a bill today that would expand access to telehealth services by requiring private insurance companies to reimburse providers for telehealth services.
Telehealth is changing the way health care is provided by expanding patient access to routine and specialty care and improving patient satisfaction and outcomes. Ensuring that providers are incentivized to maintain telehealth services as a means to increase access to care is a top priority for Duke Health. North Carolina is one of the only states that does not consistently require insurers to cover and reimburse for telehealth services. Duke and other hospitals and health systems across the state have advocated for telehealth payment parity for years. The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically accelerated and expanded the use of telehealth services, and the increased use of these services during the pandemic has demonstrated that our healthcare system can offer a great value through telehealth. In the wake of telehealth innovation accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, now is the time to build on the expansion of services.
Federal waivers and some insurance companies have temporarily allowed for telehealth payment parity and expanded flexibilities for telehealth services during the pandemic, but these temporary changes must become permanent. We saw true telehealth transformation in 2020 due to COVID-19 with the closing of clinics for most in-person visits, and providers had to quickly pivot to provide remote health care services. Telehealth is important to continue beyond the pandemic as a part of patient care. At Duke, we’ve seen that patient care goals are being met using telehealth, and we find positive outcomes in patient and provider satisfaction, cost savings to the patient, and overall health care savings. Importantly, we have also discovered that telehealth services provide more convenient health care options to underserved populations.
North Carolina’s insurance reimbursement policies should reflect the increased use of telehealth services over the last year, and should encourage providers to continue utilizing these services beyond the pandemic to expand access to health care for all North Carolinians. House Bill 149 is a step in the right direction, and will be heard again in the coming weeks in the House Committee on Insurance.