Join the California Telehealth Policy Coalition as it hosts a webinar to look at the Department of Health Care Services’ proposal for permanent telehealth policy changes in Medi-Cal (California’s Medicaid program). Speakers will include representatives of state organizations that represent some of the populations and groups who will be most impacted by these changes.
The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), which oversees the state Medicaid program (Medi-Cal), recently released their permanent telehealth policy proposals. While overarching policies related to maintaining audio-only coverage and payment parity for all telehealth modalities appear to be continuing, a few additional policies proposed may create new barriers to the utilization of telehealth within the Medi-Cal program.
The Briefing will provide an overview of the state and national telehealth policy landscape and then get into a facilitated stakeholder panel discussion specific to the future of CA telehealth policy. Questions will largely be focused around audio-only, utilization management, and cost/quality/payment issues, given that is where the current AB 133 Telehealth Advisory Workgroup discussion between DHCS and stakeholders has been focusing as well.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how important internet-based technology is to access telehealth services and how the digital divide exacerbates existing inequities in access to health care. Many patients without adequate internet access have needed to rely on audio-only telehealth for their care. In response to the digital divide, Governor Newsom and the California Legislature have leveraged the state surplus to make a landmark state investment in broadband infrastructure in a bold attempt to close the digital divide. Join our panel discussion on the current state of these digital inequities within California and how it affects patients and providers. Panelists will provide background on the fundamentals of broadband and how California’s investment in broadband infrastructure will impact the digital divide.
