AHCCCS covers all major forms of telehealth services. Asynchronous (also called “store and forward”) occurs when services are not delivered in real-time, but are uploaded by providers and retrieved, perhaps to an online portal. Telephonic services (audio-only) use a traditional telephone to conduct health care appointments. Telemedicine involves interactive audio and video, in a real-time, synchronous conversation. AHCCCS also covers telehealth for remote patient monitoring and teledentistry.
SOURCE: AZ Health Care Cost Containment System. Telehealth Services, (Accessed Nov. 2023).
Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) covers medically necessary, non-experimental, and cost-effective Telehealth services provided by AHCCCS-registered providers. There are no geographic restrictions for Telehealth; services delivered via Telehealth are covered by AHCCCS in rural and urban regions.
They reimburse for store-and-forward for specific specialties and for remote patient monitoring, although restrictions apply.
Arizona’s Medicaid program uses an integrated managed care model with a fee-for-service delivery system for Alaska Native/American Indian populations and limited emergency services.
All services provided via telehealth must be medically necessary, non-experimental, and cost-effective for the diagnosis or treatment of a member’s medical or behavioral health condition.
SOURCE: AZ Health Care Cost Containment System, AHCCCS Fee-For-Service Provider Manual, Ch. 10: Individual Practitioner Services, (5/31/23), pg. 51-52; IHS/Tribal Provider Billing Manual, p. 50-51 (5/31/23), (Accessed Nov. 2023).
The Contractor and FFS programs shall cover medically necessary, non-experimental, and cost effective services delivered via Telehealth by AHCCCS registered providers for AHCCCS covered services. Manual outlines parameters for reimbursement of live video, asynchronous, remote patient monitoring and audio-only.
SOURCE: AZ Health Care Cost Containment System, AHCCCS Medical Policy for AHCCCS Covered Services, Ch. 300, (320-I pg. 1). Approved 8/29/23. (Accessed Nov. 2023).
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