State Begins Work on Telehealth Research

July 28, 2022

The state has begun work on a legislatively mandated study on telehealth practices.  

The 2021 Minnesota Legislature passed the Minnesota Telehealth Act, which expands telehealth in Minnesota and extends payment parity to include telephone-only visits through June 30, 2023. The legislation also directs the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to conduct a study of the impact of these policies under private sector health insurance. A parallel study, led by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), focuses on the impact of these policies for Minnesota Health Care Programs, including Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare. 

The qualitative component of the study is now underway, and Minnesota residents, providers, and payer organizations may be contacted to invite them to participate in an interview with Wilder Research. The MMA urges Minnesota physicians who have utilized telehealth services to register for participation in this interview. Use this link to register: MDH Telehealth Screening- Providers (voxco.com). Eligible registrants will be contacted by Wilder Research to schedule an interview. 

The MDH Telehealth Study will evaluate the impact of telehealth expansion and payment parity, under private sector health insurance, on: 

• Access to healthcare services, quality of care, health outcomes, patient satisfaction, and value-based payments and innovation in health care delivery 

• Healthcare disparities and equitable access for underserved communities 

• Healthcare costs and premiums 

• Access to, and availability of, in-person care, including specialty care, particularly in rural areas 

The study will also address: 

• The extent to which services provided through telehealth substitute for or are in addition to in-person services, including whether they are duplicative of in-person services 

• The services and populations for which increased access to telehealth improves or negatively impacts health outcomes 

• Whether audio-only communication as a permitted option for delivering services supports equitable access to health care services, including behavioral health services, and whether it eliminates barriers to care for vulnerable and underserved populations without reducing the quality of care, worsening health outcomes, or decreasing patient satisfaction 

• How payers ensure that telehealth services are appropriate to the patient's needs and that patients may choose whether to seek or receive care via telehealth. 

The MMA will work to extend coverage for audio-only services during the 2023 Legislative Session.