Table of Contents
Online Doctors in Indiana

TABLE OF CONTENTS

https://www.onlinedoctor.com

I. What Are Indiana Telemedicine Policies?

Medicaid and private insurance companies must reimburse at the same amounts when you receive behavioral health and medical exams via telemedicine services as when you receive the same services in-person. However, Medicaid has some limitations on store-and-forward practices.

Medicaid Private payers Parity
Reimbursement for: Live video and remote patient monitoring. Store-and-forward isn’t reimbursed but can still be used to facilitate other reimbursable services. Reimbursement for: All telemedicine services that meet the same clinical criteria as care provided in person. Telemedicine services must have equally favorable dollar limits, deductibles, and coinsurance as comparable health care services provided in person.

Parity Laws

Indiana’s parity laws ensure you get equally reimbursed for telemedicine services, and these services meet the same clinical criteria and level of care as you’d get during in-person treatment. Indiana Medicaid, called the Indiana Health Coverage Programs, covers telemedicine services provided by live-video and remote patient monitoring. Payment for these services is equal to the current fee schedule amount, but reimbursements are only made when you, as the patient, are physically present and participating in the telemedicine session. You can receive a variety of medical exams and consultations and behavioral health, including substance abuse evaluations and treatment from providers paid through private insurance.

Through Indiana Medicaid, you can receive an array of telemedicine services, including psychotherapy, heart monitoring, speech therapy, alcohol and/or substance abuse, and new/established patient office visits, among others. Medicaid also will reimburse providers for end-stage renal disease services if you complete at least one monthly ESRD-related visit in a traditional clinical setting. With prior authorization, home health providers are reimbursed for remote patient monitoring if you’re being treated for COPD, congestive heart failure, or diabetes and have had two or more emergency room visits or inpatient hospital stays in the past year. If you’re receiving ongoing telemedicine services for any reason, you must have a traditional clinical evaluation performed by a physician at least once per year.

Eligible Health Care Providers

Medicaid reimburses telemedicine services you receive, regardless of the distance between you and these health care providers:

  • Federally qualified health centers
  • Rural health clinics
  • Community mental health centers
  • Critical access hospitals
  • Providers eligible to provide covered telemedicine services

Indiana isn’t currently part of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. Still, providers outside the state may treat patients via telemedicine if they certify they’ll comply with Indiana courts and Indiana’s Substantive and Procedural Laws. These providers can include:

  • Physicians
  • Physician assistants
  • Advanced practice registered nurses
  • Podiatrists
  • Optometrists

Online Prescriptions

Indiana’s online prescribing laws prevent providers from issuing prescriptions through telemedicine unless they have established a provider-patient relationship. However, this doesn’t require the provider to see you in person. Providers can do this by collecting your medical history and other information to establish a diagnosis, discussing this diagnosis with you, creating and maintaining an appropriate patient record, and issuing instructions for follow-up care. Providers must also inform your primary care doctor of any prescriptions written and provide you with a telemedicine summary that includes information about the prescription. Providers can prescribe controlled substances to you without a previous examination if the medication isn’t an opioid. However, they can prescribe partial agonist opioids used to treat/manage opioid dependence.

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II. Find an Online Doctor in Indiana

If you’re looking for a new telemedicine provider, your health insurance company can help you find doctors who provide virtual medical visits. You can also do some searching on your own, while keeping some key points in mind to ensure you get the right care at the right price.

  • Research credentials: Any time you’re seeing a new health care provider, verify their license or other required credentials. The Medical Licensing Board of Indiana offers an online portal that lets you verify the license of any health care professional, including license type and status.
  • Determine your cost: Indiana’s parity laws help protect you from unfavorable charges for telemedicine services, but insurance providers offer varying coverages. Some telemedicine providers require a subscription on top of their fee for service, and insurance companies don’t cover subscription or membership fees.
  • Read online doctor reviews: Online reviews can provide helpful insights into online doctors and let you know if they’ve had any prior complaints from former patients.
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III. Research Our Indiana Telemedicine Sources

Indiana has made some major changes in its telemedicine policy in recent years, and updates to these policies are frequent. Keep up with these changes by visiting these websites.

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