[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/New-Jersey-welcome.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]With New Jersey’s telemedicine regulations now signed into law by Governor Christie to be effective 21 July, both providers and payers are adjusting to what the expansion means for those covered by Medicaid, Medicaid managed care, commercial health plans, and NJ state-funded health insurance. Our 27 June article reviews key points, and they are largely positive for expanding telemedicine in the (now official) Garden State. However, the payment parity part was diluted in the final version, with the in-person reimbursement rate set as the maximum ceiling for telemedicine and telehealth reimbursement rates.

Unique parts of the NJ bill require:

• Telemedicine or telehealth organizations operating in NJ to annually register with the Department of Health
• Submit annual reports on activity and encounter data, which will include patient race and ethnicity, diagnostic and evaluation management codes, and the source of payment for the consult (final details determined by succeeding legislation)
• A seven-member New Jersey Telemedicine and Telehealth Review Commission
• Mental health screeners, screening services, and screening psychiatrists are not required to obtain a separate authorization in order to engage in telemedicine or telehealth for mental health screening purposes

Full reviews of the legislation are available from law firms Foley & Lardner and in the National Law Review by an attorney from NJ firm Giordano, Halleran & Ciesla.