Executive Order to Expand Telehealth Services

On March 19th, Governor JB Pritzker filed an executive order to expand telehealth services and protest healthcare providers in response to COVID-19.The main points include:

• Telehealth services are defined under section 1, including a variety of electronic methods.
• Telehealth services is under Section 356z.22 of the Illinois Insurance Code, 215 ILCS 5.
• Beginning March 19, 2020, "all health insurance issuers regulated by the Department of Insurance are hereby required to cover the costs of all Telehealth Services rendered by in-network providers to deliver clinically appropriate, medically-necessary covered services and treatments to insureds, enrollees, and members under each policy, contract, or certificate of health insurance coverage."
• Insurance issuers shall notify providers of any instructions needed to facilitate billing for Telehealth Services.
• Insurance issuers will not impose unnecessary, unwarranted, or treatment limitations that are more stringent than requirements when the same health care service is rendered in-person.
• "Telehealth Services subject to this Executive Order's coverage requirements may be provided by any in-network...speech-language pathologists, audiologists...as long as they are licensed, registered, certified, or authorized to practice in the State of Illinois, regardless of whether or not the in-network provider was originally establihsed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in any designated telehealth network for the policy, contract, or certificate of health insurance coverage."

This executive order is NOT applicable to Early Intervention (EI); more information regarding EI will be forthcoming. 

Read the filed executive order.

ISHA will continue to monitor and post resources/information regarding telepractice and COVID-19 on website as we learn more.