A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to make changes to medicaid and nc health choice telemedicine and telePSYCHIATRY policies to FACILItate INCREASED access to services, evolve with the latest technology, and align with best practices.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) shall make the following changes to the Medicaid and NC Health Choice Clinical Coverage Policy No. 1H, Telemedicine and Telepsychiatry:
(1)	DHHS shall reimburse for telemedicine and telepsychiatry services performed in a recipient's home or delivered from a licensed practitioner's home.
(2)	A referral shall not be required for the use of telemedicine or telepsychiatry services.
(3)	The delivery of telemedicine or telepsychiatry over the phone or by video cell phone shall be covered.
(4)	A referring provider and a receiving provider shall be allowed to bill for facility fees related to the provision of telemedicine or telepsychiatry on the same date of service.
(5)	Telemedicine and telepsychiatry services shall not be subject to the exact same restrictions as face‑to‑face contacts. The clinical coverage policy shall be updated to align the policy with best practices for telemedicine and telepsychiatry.
(6)	All behavioral health providers who are directly enrolled as providers in the Medicaid and NC Health Choice programs, including licensed professional counselors, licensed marriage and family therapists, certified clinical supervisors, and licensed clinical additions specialists, shall be included in the coverage policy as providers who may bill Medicaid or NC Health Choice for telemedicine and telepsychiatry services and as providers who may bill for a facility fee.
In addition to the changes to Clinical Coverage Policy No. 1H, Telemedicine and Telepsychiatry, DHHS is directed to expand the billing code set available for telemedicine and telepsychiatry to include most outpatient billing codes, including family therapy and psychotherapy for crisis. With the exception of family therapy, the expanded billing codes shall not include group‑type therapies.
SECTION 2.  The Department of Health and Human Services shall submit to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services any waivers or amendments to the NC Medicaid State Plan necessary to implement this act. The changes required by Section 1 of this act shall be effective after the completion of the process for amending policy that is required under G.S. 108A‑54.2.
SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law.