Some schools in Missouri may soon have access to telehealth services that would be covered under Medicaid.
Rep. Kip Kendrick introduced a bill to make these services more available in schools so students have access to specialists they may not otherwise be able to see, according to the Missourian. One school, Roosevelt High School in St. Louis, already has a telehealth program through Chesterfield, Mo.-based Mercy Virtual Care Center. The clinic consists of two rooms in the high school with a television and a pan-tilt zoom camera, so specialists at Mercy can consult with students.
Medicai'ds MO HealthNet program currently cover telehealth services for remote patients at hospitals, rural health clinics, dialysis centers and community mental health centers. Mr. Kendrick's bill would add schools to the list.
Mercy is planning to expand to other schools without nurses in St. Louis, but would not be eligible for Medicaid reimbursements if they did so because schools are not included under the MO Healthnet telehealth clause.
"I do believe that there will be several bills over the next several sessions that help catch the regulations up to technology and expand access to health care," Mr. Kendrick told the Missourian.