MS SB2209

Requires all health insurance plans in Mississippi to cover telemedicine services to the same extent as in-person consultations, including state employee and school employee plans.

Defines telemedicine as real-time interactive audio, video, or electronic media delivery of health care services such as diagnosis, consultation, or treatment, excluding audio-only telephone, email, or facsimile.

Allows health insurance plans to charge deductibles, co-payments, or coinsurance for telemedicine services that do not exceed the amounts charged for in-person visits, and permits plans to limit coverage to approved telemedicine networks.

Authorizes health care practitioners licensed in Mississippi to provide treatment recommendations and prescribe medications via telemedicine after appropriate examination, holding electronic recommendations to the same practice standards as traditional provider-patient settings.

Specifies that facility fees are payable only to originating sites (not distant sites) and requires appropriate procedure codes with modifiers indicating interactive communication in claims for telemedicine services; takes effect July 1, 2013.