Originating Site Definition – The location where the patient is located, whether accompanied or not by a health care provider, at the time services are provided by a health care provider through telehealth, including but not limited to a health care provider’s office, hospital, critical access hospital, rural health clinic, federally qualified health center, a patient’s home, and other nonmedical environments such as school-based health centers, universitybased health centers, or the work location of the patient. The originating site includes a patient’s residence. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, expects that patients should not receive telehealth services in public or semi-public settings, absent patient consent or exigent circumstances.
Eligible providers are health care providers who are eligible to bill Hawai‘i Medicaid, practicing within their scope, and delivering services which can be appropriately and effectively administered through the telehealth modality.
If a provider does not have the capacity to provide in-person services, they must, for each appointment, inform the patient and document in the patient’s record that the following information was provided: The patient has a 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 managed care organization (MCO) can assist with finding a provider who can furnish in-person services.
All providers prescribing controlled substances must be located in the State of Hawai‘i.
See Attachment C for guidance.
SOURCE: Med-QUEST Memo QI-2527/FFS-25-12/CCS-2509 (Dec. 8, 2025). (Accessed Dec. 2025).
Originating site means the location where the patient is located, whether accompanied or not by a health care provider, at the time services are provided by a health care provider through telehealth, including but not limited to a health care provider’s office, hospital, critical access hospital, rural health clinic, federally qualified health center, a patient’s home, and other non-medical environments such as school-based health centers, university-based health centers, or the work location of the patient.
SOURCE: HI Revised Statues Section 346-59.1(g). (Accessed Dec. 2025).
Teledentistry
Clinics that qualify for FQHC Prospective Payment System (PPS) reimbursement may submit telehealth claims using PPS reimbursement, as long as both the patient and dentist were each physically located at separate eligible FQHC/RHC sites during the encounter and the diagnosis. (Form 5b service sites registered with Med-QUEST as a Medicaid location and issued a HRSA Notice of Award identifying the specific service location address). Refer to Provider Memo QI-2338/ FFS 23-22. The first lines of these claims should be D9999 or D0140.
Claims for patients that were located at “public health settings” not federally registered as a FQHC or RHC service site are not eligible for PPS reimbursement.
SOURCE: HI Med-QUEST Medicaid Provider Manual Dental Benefits (May 2025), p. 40. (Accessed Dec. 2025).
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