Telehealth Regulations & Best Practices

Navigate the complex telehealth regulatory landscape. Covers modalities, interstate licensure compacts, Medicare/Medicaid coverage, prescribing via telehealth, standard of care, privacy, billing, and malpractice considerations.

8 Units

20 minutes per unit

Curriculum Map

What You Will Learn

Interstate Practice

Compact states, emergency waivers, permanent flexibilities, and the registration requirements that vary across all 50 states.

Prescribing & Ryan Haight

Controlled substance prescribing via telehealth, DEA flexibilities, state variations, and the post-PHE regulatory landscape.

Billing & Liability

Modifiers, place of service codes, parity laws, documentation requirements, and malpractice insurance considerations for telehealth.

All Units

20 minutes

Telehealth Modalities and Regulatory Definitions

Establishes the regulatory taxonomy of telehealth modalities and explores profession-specific scope of practice boundaries under federal and state frameworks.

•Distinguish between synchronous, asynchronous, remote patient monitoring, and audio-only telehealth modalities
•Identify profession-specific scope of practice limitations for telehealth across physicians, nurses, and pharmacists
•Apply CMS and state regulatory definitions to classify telehealth services for coverage and licensure purposes

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20 minutes

State Licensure and Interstate Practice for Telehealth

Examines state licensure requirements for telehealth, including compact state privileges, emergency flexibilities, and permanent registration pathways for interstate practice.

•Apply the state-of-patient-location licensure rule to telehealth encounters across state lines
•Distinguish between compact licensure privileges and emergency waivers for interstate telehealth practice
•Identify registration and notification requirements for out-of-state providers delivering telehealth services

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20 minutes

Medicare and Medicaid Telehealth Coverage Rules

Analyzes Medicare Part B telehealth coverage under Section 1834(m), PHE flexibility expirations, permanent legislative changes, and state Medicaid policy variations.

•Apply originating site and distant site requirements to determine Medicare telehealth eligibility under Section 1834(m)
•Distinguish between temporary PHE flexibilities and permanent coverage expansions enacted by Congress
•Identify state Medicaid coverage policies for telehealth across rural and urban settings

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20 minutes

Prescribing Controlled Substances via Telehealth

Examines federal DEA requirements for prescribing controlled substances via telehealth under the Ryan Haight Act, COVID-19 flexibilities, proposed permanent rules, and state law variations.

•Apply the Ryan Haight Act's in-person examination requirement to telehealth prescribing of controlled substances
•Identify DEA temporary flexibilities for telemedicine prescribing and their expiration status
•Distinguish between state-specific prescribing restrictions and federal DEA requirements for telehealth

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20 minutes

Standard of Care in Telehealth Practice

Analyzes the legal standard of care for telehealth, including establishment of the patient relationship, appropriate use determinations, informed consent, and documentation requirements.

•Apply the same standard of care to telehealth encounters as in-person visits across diagnostic and treatment decisions
•Identify clinical conditions appropriate for telehealth delivery and those requiring in-person evaluation or referral
•Document telehealth encounters to meet regulatory and malpractice defense requirements

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20 minutes

Privacy and Security Requirements for Telehealth

Examines HIPAA Privacy and Security Rule compliance for telehealth, including platform selection criteria, encryption requirements, business associate agreements, and patient identity verification.

•Apply HIPAA Privacy Rule and Security Rule requirements to telehealth platforms and communications
•Evaluate telehealth technology platforms for compliance with encryption, access controls, and business associate agreements
•Implement patient identity verification and authentication protocols to prevent fraud and unauthorized access

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20 minutes

Billing and Reimbursement for Telehealth Services

Examines billing codes, modifiers, place of service designations, payment parity laws, documentation requirements, and audit risks for telehealth reimbursement across Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial payers.

•Apply telehealth-specific modifiers and place of service codes to Medicare and commercial payer claims
•Distinguish between payment parity laws and payer-specific reimbursement policies for telehealth services
•Document telehealth encounters to meet payer audit requirements and support medical necessity

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20 minutes

Malpractice and Liability Considerations for Telehealth

Examines malpractice liability for telehealth, including standard of care application, informed consent as a defense, jurisdictional complexities, insurance coverage issues, and risk mitigation strategies.

•Apply the standard of care framework to assess malpractice liability exposure for telehealth encounters
•Identify jurisdictional issues affecting malpractice liability when providers and patients are in different states
•Evaluate malpractice insurance policy coverage for telehealth services and exclusions for unlicensed practice

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