MedicaidCoverageMedium impact
Provider Announcement
Oregon Health Plan·OR · Dentistry·Plan
Effective date
Jan 1, 2020
We identified it
Jun 20, 2026
Summary
Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid) is expanding teledentistry coverage effective January 1, 2020, allowing oral health providers to bill for telehealth services using audio-visual platforms (including Skype, FaceTime, Google Hangouts) with reimbursement equal to in-person rates. This temporary expansion is tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and CMS 1135 waiver, with lenient HIPAA compliance requirements that will revert to stricter standards when the waiver expires.
Action Required
By April 2, 2020 (one week from announcement date): Billing team must enable teledentistry service billing in the system for Oregon Health Plan claims. Providers should begin billing teledentistry services retroactively to January 1, 2020 using the same billing codes as in-person dental services. Update provider communication templates to clarify that teledentistry services are now billable through Oregon Health Plan. Contact OHA Provider Services at 800-336-6016 or dmap.providerservices@dhsoha.state.or.us with questions. Flag this as a temporary policy change—document the sunset date (when CMS 1135 waiver expires) to prepare for reversion to original teledentistry requirements with stricter HIPAA compliance mandates.