I. What Are Arizona's Telemedicine Policies?

The AHCCCS offers reimbursement for live video, store-and-forward, and remote patient monitoring provided for specific services. If you’re a private payer, you’re entitled to telemedicine coverage as long as the specified service would normally be covered during an in-person consultation. There’s no telehealth payment parity in Arizona — telehealth coverage is only available for a specific list of conditions and problems.

Medicaid Private payers Parity
Reimbursement for: Live video, store-and-forward, and remote patient monitoring. Reimbursement for: Specified health care services No explicit payment parity

Parity Laws

While Arizona has addressed many aspects of telemedicine in laws and statutes, payment parity is still open to discussion.  Telehealth services are covered if they would have been covered in-person, but the payment percentage has not been stated. Before signing up for a telehealth service, ask what your out-of-pocket costs will be after your insurance has paid their portion. This can help prevent surprise bills after the fact.

If you’re privately insured, you should investigate limits based on location. Telehealth services must be delivered to patients in rural areas with less than 900,000 people. While there are restrictions on your region’s demographics, some providers do cover care outside of these areas. If you qualify for Arizona Medicaid, eligible telemedicine services are covered whether you live in a rural and urban area.

Eligible Health Care Providers 

To receive reimbursement for telemedicine services, your provider must be on the approved list and licensed in the state. In Arizona, there are separate lists of providers for live video, store-and-forward, and remote patient monitoring services.

Arizona Medicaid reimburses the following telemedicine providers:

Live video:

  • Psychologists
  • Cardiologists
  • Dentists
  • Dermatologists
  • Oncologists
  • Home health providers
  • Infectious disease doctors
  • Clinical social workers
  • Nutritional therapists
  • Neurologists
  • Gynecologists
  • Radiologists
  • Ophthalmologists
  • Orthopedics
  • Speech-language pathologists
  • Pediatricians
  • Pharmacy managers
  • Rheumatologists
  • Post-operation specialists

Store-and-forward:

  • Clinical psychologists
  • Psychiatrists
  • Cardiologists
  • Dermatologists
  • Infectious disease doctors
  • Neurologists
  • Ophthalmologists
  • Pathologists
  • Radiologists

Online Prescriptions

Your online doctor can call in your prescription as long as the patient-provider relationship has been previously validated. Depending on the prescribed substance, validation requires a physical or mental health examination. You can get prescriptions refilled online through certain insurance providers.

II. Find an Online Doctor in Arizona

There are many online doctors in Arizona available to assist you with your behavioral or physical health issues. When researching which doctor is right for you, consider these factors to help make your decision:

  • Research credentials: You can search for specific doctors on their website or LinkedIn page to gain more information about their credentials. The Arizona Medical Board lets you search doctors by name, license, or specialty.
  • Determine your cost: Since Arizona has no parity law, always call or email your prospective doctor to ask for a quote before seeking treatment.
  • Read online doctor reviews: Perform a web search to find information about an online doctor you’re considering seeing for your health care needs. Factors that are worth considering include availability, online platforms, and specialties. Reputable doctors should have a number of reviews on well-known internet sites.

III. Research Our Arizona Telemedicine Sources

Learn more about telemedicine in Arizona, including updates to coverage and providers, by visiting our list of resources.