Executive Order to Expand Telehealth Services

March 20, 2020

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.

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