Eligible Distant Site

Distant/Hub Site:

The location of the enrolled Hawai’i Medicaid provider delivering Medicaid eligible services through telehealth. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights expects health care providers will implement HIPAA safeguards and conduct telehealth in private settings, such as a doctor in a clinic or office connecting to a patient who is at home or at another clinic.

If a provider does not have the capacity to provide in-person services, they must inform the patient that: the patient has the right to receive in-person services if they prefer; they (the provider) are incapable of providing in-person services; and they (the provider) must inform the patient that their QI MCO can assist with finding a provider who can provide in-person services.

With exceptions, the FQHC provider must be located at their contracted FQHC’s HRSA approved site or satellite.

Exceptions:

• Until December 31, 2024, FQHC behavioral health providers may be located at a non-HRSA approved site or satellite within the United States and the United States’ territories.
• If prescribing controlled substances, the provider must be located in the State of Hawai’i.

SOURCE: Med-QUEST Memo QI-2338/FFS 23-22/CCS-2311.  (Accessed Feb. 2024).

Distant site means the location of the health care provider delivering services through telehealth at the time the services are provided.

SOURCE: HI Revised Statues Section 346-59.1(g). (Accessed Feb. 2024).