Telemedicine rules for Georgia
- Dianna Watkins
- Mar 12, 2020
- 1 min read
Due to the concerns of Covid-19, I've been asked what are the possibilities or rules for telemedicine for Georgia.
Many states now offer telemedicine as an option to providers and patients. Rules vary from state to state. Providers need to hold a state license in the state the patient resides.
Rules for billing do not vary however reporting with certain codes/modifiers is necessary when filing claims. For any sessions I have billed previously for telemedicine, I have not noticed a price difference compared to previously billed home or office visits.
For those who work in pediatrics, know that an assistant does need to be with the patient (this could be a guardian/parent/adult) to help assist during the session. Sessions need to follow HIPAA compliant encryption due to Georgia Department of Community Health rules. There are various programs to use that offer monthly fees that are made for telemedicine for these video sessions. Doxy.me ( https://doxy.me/) is often a choice for individual providers due to it's free trial and one of the cheaper options at this time. Here is a list of telemedicine software options Capterra list with: https://www.capterra.com/telemedicine-software/
I recommend that you have your patient (or parents/guardians) sign an agreement on letterhead prior to sessions agreeing to telemedicine sessions. There are several examples online of different consent forms to use as a sample. Georgia Medicaid does require written consent and offers a form to use in their manual:
Below are the links for state regulation for providers in Georgia. I've also provided a link that covers other states as well.
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