FY21-22 Proviso 117.119 (C) – Telehealth Report
The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) has operated a telehealth program since 2011. Telehealth provides an additional option for delivering certain covered services, when appropriate, rather than a separate set of benefits. During the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) public federal public health emergency (PHE), the department has modified its existing telehealth program to provide needed flexibilities in the delivery of care as the pandemic continues to bring drastic change to healthcare delivery systems across the world. This report will provide a review of the department’s pre-pandemic telehealth program, discuss the flexibilities that were put in place to ensure access to care during the pandemic, evaluate utilization data and provide an outlook for the future direction of SCDHHS’ telehealth program.