TOPEKA — Members of a panel focused on telemedicine in the mental health arena are considering a study to outline costs to provide remote care to clarify and promote payment parity.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for remote care became clear to many health care providers. This led to many temporary, pandemic-contingent actions to expand services. Efforts to have many of these enacted in permanent legislation fell short this past legislative session.
Now, members of a subcommittee of the 2021 Special Committee on Mental Health Modernization and Reform are focusing on several incomplete recommendations a similar committee proposed last year. A pivotal area of focus for mental health advocates is ensuring rate parity between in-person and remote services.
