Amends TCA Title 56 and Section 63-1-155.

This bill extends and revises certain provisions regarding telehealth and telemedicine, as discussed below.<br /> <br /> Under present law, a health insurance entity must provide reimbursement for healthcare services provided during a telehealth or provider-based telemedicine encounter in a manner that is consistent with what the health insurance policy or contract provides for in-person encounters for the same service, and must reimburse for healthcare services provided during the encounter without distinction or consideration of the geographic location, or any federal, state, or local designation or classification of the geographic area where the patient is located. This present law provision is scheduled to expire April 1, 2022; this bill removes the repeal provision, thereby making these provisions permanent in nature.<br /> <br /> Under present law, a health insurance entity must provide coverage for healthcare services provided during a provider-based telemedicine encounter. Present law defines "provider-based telemedicine" as the use of HIPAA compliant real-time, interactive audio, video telecommunication, or electronic technology, or store-and-forward telemedicine services, used over the course of an interactive visit by a healthcare services provider to deliver healthcare services to a patient within the scope of practice of the healthcare services provider that meets certain requirements. One such requirement is that the healthcare services provider makes use of HIPAA compliant real-time, interactive audio, video telecommunications or electronic technology, or store-and-forward telemedicine services to deliver healthcare services to a patient within the scope of practice of the healthcare services provider as long as the healthcare services provider, the healthcare services provider's practice group, or the healthcare system has established a provider-patient relationship by submitting to a health insurance entity evidence of an in-person encounter between the healthcare service provider, the healthcare services provider's practice group, or the healthcare system and the patient within 16 months prior to the interactive visit. This bill tolls the 16-month period for the duration of a state of emergency declared by the governor.<br />