Overview

Hawaii Medicaid (Med-QUEST) reimburses for live video.  Although their statute prohibits HI Medicaid from placing any restrictions on originating sites, regulations creating restrictions on the types or originating site eligible for reimbursement and their geographic location still exist in Hawaii Rules.  HI indicated in a memo that a state plan amendment was approved that allows for the changes in Hawaii Medicaid policy based on the statutory requirements, but it did not provide any specifics on removing the originating site or geographic restrictions currently present in HI rules.  Recently passed legislation indicates that Hawaii Medicaid will cover some audio-only delivered services until December 31, 2025.

Additionally, according to Hawaii’s statutory definition of telehealth and limited documentation from Hawaii Medicaid, they appear to be reimbursing for store-and-forward and remote patient monitoring in certain circumstances. Phone calls are allowed for limited circumstances.

Note that in August 2023 a public health emergency (PHE) was declared in Hawaii for the Maui fires.  In response to the PHE, Hawaii has enacted several waivers that impact the Medicaid population and utilize telehealth.  See Hawaii Med-Quest Memo QI-2335A for more details. These waivers will last until the end of the PHE, though Medicaid does have the ability to extend them.