- Counselors
- Social Workers
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
- Nurses
- Medicaid Telehealth Parity Law
- Private Pay Telehealth Parity Law
- Payment Parity
- Permission for the Temporary Practice of Clinicians Licensed Outside the State
- Response to COVID-19
- Counselors
- Social Workers
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
- Nurses
- Medicaid Telehealth Parity Law
- Private Pay Telehealth Parity Law
- Payment Parity
- Permission for the Temporary Practice of Clinicians Licensed Outside the State
- Response to COVID-19
Counselors
We are not aware of any specific rules and regulations of the practice of telemental health services for Counselors.
Marriage and Family Therapists
We are not aware of any specific rules and regulations of the practice of telemental health services for MFTs.
Psychologists
We are not aware of any specific rules and regulations of the practice of telemental health services for Psychologists.
Psychiatrists
Psychiatrists
Refer to the source provided for all requirements and limitations.
Oklahoma Professional Regulation/Health & Safety Online Prescribing
“A valid physician-patient relationship may be established by an allopathic or osteopathic physician with a patient located in this state through telemedicine, provided that the physician:
- Holds a license to practice medicine in this state;
- Confirms the patient’s identity; and
- Provides the patient with the treating physician’s identity and professional credentials.”
“Telemedicine and store and forward technology encounters shall comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and ensure that all patient communications and records are secure and confidential. Telemedicine encounters and encounters involving store-and-forward technology shall not be used to establish a valid physician-patient relationship for purpose of prescribing opiates, synthetic opiates, semisynthetic opiates, benzodiazepine, or carisoprodol, but may be used to prescribe opioid antagonists or partial agonists.”
“The relationship shall not be based solely on the receipt of patient health information by a physician. The duties and obligations created by a physician-patient relationship shall not apply until the physician affirmatively:
- Undertakes to diagnose and treat the patient; or
- Participates in the diagnosis and treatment of the patient.”
Source:
OK Statutes, Title 59, Ch. 11 Sec. 478.1 (Accessed Sept. 2019).
“Unprofessional Conduct includes prescribing or administering a drug or treatment without sufficient examination and the establishment of a valid physician-patient relationship and not prescribing in a safe, medically accepted manner.”
Source:
OK Statute, Title 59, Sec. 509.(12), p. 377 (Accessed Feb. 2020).
“A physician/patient relationship is established when a physician agrees by direct or indirect contact with a patient to diagnose or treat any condition, illness or disability presented by a patient to that physician, whether or not such a presenting complaint is considered a disease by the general medical community. The physician/patient relationship shall include a medically appropriate, timely-scheduled, face-to-face encounter with the patient, subject to any supervisory responsibilities established elsewhere in these rules. Telemedicine physicians who meet certain criteria are not subject to the face-to-face requirement to establish a physician-patient relationship.”
Source:
OK Admin. Code Sec. 435:10-7-12. (Accessed Feb. 2020).
“A physician-patient relationship includes an in-person patient exam.”
Source:
OK Admin. Code Sec. 435:10-1-4. (Accessed Feb. 2020).
Refer to the source provided for all requirements and limitations.
Nurses
“As a party state to the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), Oklahoma issues multistate licenses to nurses and applicants who reside in the state and recognizes multistate licenses issued by other party states, for practice in Oklahoma. A nurse holding a multistate license is entitled to practice in any NLC party state, but must comply at all times with the laws of the state where he or she is currently practicing.”
“It should be noted that not every state in the US is an NLC party state; a map of participating states, as well as further resources related to the NLC, are available on the Nurse Licensure Compact website.”
Refer to the source provided for all requirements and limitations.
Oklahoma Professional Regulation/Health & Safety Online Prescribing
“A valid physician-patient relationship may be established by an allopathic or osteopathic physician with a patient located in this state through telemedicine, provided that the physician:
- Holds a license to practice medicine in this state;
- Confirms the patient’s identity; and
- Provides the patient with the treating physician’s identity and professional credentials.”
“Telemedicine and store and forward technology encounters shall comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and ensure that all patient communications and records are secure and confidential. Telemedicine encounters and encounters involving store-and-forward technology shall not be used to establish a valid physician-patient relationship for purpose of prescribing opiates, synthetic opiates, semisynthetic opiates, benzodiazepine, or carisoprodol, but may be used to prescribe opioid antagonists or partial agonists.”
“The relationship shall not be based solely on the receipt of patient health information by a physician. The duties and obligations created by a physician-patient relationship shall not apply until the physician affirmatively:
- Undertakes to diagnose and treat the patient; or
- Participates in the diagnosis and treatment of the patient.”
Source:
OK Statutes, Title 59, Ch. 11 Sec. 478.1 (Accessed Sept. 2019).
“Unprofessional Conduct includes prescribing or administering a drug or treatment without sufficient examination and the establishment of a valid physician-patient relationship and not prescribing in a safe, medically accepted manner.”
Source:
OK Statute, Title 59, Sec. 509.(12), p. 377 (Accessed Feb. 2020).
“A physician/patient relationship is established when a physician agrees by direct or indirect contact with a patient to diagnose or treat any condition, illness or disability presented by a patient to that physician, whether or not such a presenting complaint is considered a disease by the general medical community. The physician/patient relationship shall include a medically appropriate, timely-scheduled, face-to-face encounter with the patient, subject to any supervisory responsibilities established elsewhere in these rules. Telemedicine physicians who meet certain criteria are not subject to the face-to-face requirement to establish a physician-patient relationship.”
Source:
OK Admin. Code Sec. 435:10-7-12. (Accessed Feb. 2020).
“A physician-patient relationship includes an in-person patient exam.”
Source:
OK Admin. Code Sec. 435:10-1-4. (Accessed Feb. 2020).
Refer to the source provided for all requirements and limitations.
Medicaid Telehealth Parity Law
Source: OK Health Care Authority, Telehealth
"(10) A telehealth service is subject to the same SoonerCare program restrictions, limitations, and coverage which exists for the service when not provided through telehealth; provided, however, that only certain telehealth codes are reimbursable by SoonerCare. For a list of the SoonerCare-reimbursable telehealth codes, refer to the OHCA's Behavioral Health Telehealth Services and Medical Telehealth Services, available on OHCA's website, www.okhca.org."
Refer to the source provided for all requirements and limitations.
Originating Site Reimbursement:
Private Pay Telehealth Parity Law
Source: OK Statute, Title 36 Sec. 6803
"A. For services that a health care practitioner determines to be appropriately provided by means of telemedicine, health care service plans, disability insurer programs, workers' compensation programs, or state Medicaid managed care program contracts issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 1998, shall not require person-to-person contact between a health care practitioner and a patient."
Refer to the source provided for all requirements and limitations.
Payment Parity
We are not aware of any explicit payment parity.
*Clinicians who have had an experience with telehealth reimbursement in this state are invited to share their experiences in the comments section below: a) type of service provided; b) insurance provider; c) payment parity, payment issues, or insurance requirements.
Note: As this is a free resource and Rules and Regulations regarding Telehealth are always changing, we appreciate any updates or corrections. They can be emailed to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with a link to the source or a citation of the rule or regulation.
Telemental health is not a separate service from mental health services. All state licensing boards require that licensed clinicians follow all the regulations for practicing under their license no matter what medium of communication is used. All licensing boards also require that clinicians only practice within the boundaries of their competence. This usually requires education, continuing education, and/or supervision in telemental health. Complete our telehealth training program to cover all the essential competencies of providing telemental health services and earn the THTC (Telemental Health Training Certificate).
Social Workers
Social Workers
Source
The provision of social work services to an individual in this state, through telephonic, electronic, or other means, regardless of the location of the social worker, shall constitute the practice of social work and shall be subject to regulation.