Washington Medicaid requires an established relationship before audio-only telehealth

Washington requires an established patient relationship before audio-only telemedicine can be reimbursed: the patient must have had at least one in-person appointment, or one real-time audio-and-video appointment, with the provider or their medical group within the prior three years. This blocks new patients from accessing telephone-only care and disadvantages those who lack video-capable technology or broadband, particularly low-income, elderly, and rural patients who rely on audio-only visits.

Source: Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP), Washington state telehealth page (2026).