Payer Telehealth Policies
A Reference Guide for Ambulatory Practices
Telehealth services have benefited from expanded coverage and reimbursement since 2020 in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Variation in telehealth coverage and reimbursement exists across payers and plan types. States and private payers generally align with federal telehealth policies.
Permanent changes to Medicare rules for behavioral health services remove geographical and originating site restrictions and authorize certain practitioners to furnish services as distant site practitioners.1, 2 Other federal telehealth flexibilities remain in effect as long as Congress continues to extend temporary waivers, including allowing the use of audio-only telehealth for non-behavioral health services.
About This Reference Guide
This reference guide is for informational purposes and intended to assist practices with locating information on telehealth policies for government and private payers. Users of this document are encouraged to contact payers for the most up-to-date information when verifying patient eligibility and telehealth coverage and reimbursement.
Included in this guide is information for Government Payers, Medicare and Medicaid, and Commercial
Payers, Aetna, CareFirst, Cigna, Kaiser and UnitedHealthcare. The guide provides links to payer websites and policies and a summary of the information that can be found on those sites.
Telehealth Resources - Government Payers
The Maryland Medicaid Synchronous Telehealth Policy Guide includes information on:
- Eligible providers as permitted by applicable licensing board — pages 2 & 5
- Permitted provider locations — pages 1 & 7
- Technology requirements — pages 2–3 & 8–9
- Eligible originating site types— pages 1 & 7
- Covered services: audio-visual (GT-modifier) and audio-only (UB-modifier) — pages 3 & 6
Additional Information: Maryland Medicaid Telehealth Program Website
Contact Us
This document was developed by Justine Springer, MHCC Program Manager. For questions, please email
justine.springer@maryland.gov.