Louisiana’s Board of Medical Examiners (the “Board”) enacted regulations in the fall amending the prior practice standards for telemedicine, the requirements for obtaining a telemedicine permit, and the rules on remote...more
3/22/2016
/ Amended Regulation ,
Controlled Substances ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Electronic Medical Records ,
Electronic Prescribing ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Information Technologies ,
Informed Consent ,
Medical License ,
Physicians ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
The District of Columbia Department of Health recently issued proposed rules that, if enacted, would constitute the first regulations on telemedicine practice standards in the nation’s capital. Other than a 2014 policy...more
After several hard-fought years of unsuccessful attempts, the Florida Legislature on Friday passed a new bill designed to set the stage for telehealth commercial insurance coverage in the Sunshine State. This is a great step...more
More good news on the telehealth reimbursement front: CMS reported its total 2015 payments for telehealth services under the Medicare program and it was a 25% increase over last year. This reflects how providers are...more
The Great State of Arkansas was ranked last among all states in a recent report by the American Telemedicine Association on telemedicine practice standards. The good news is the Arkansas Board of Medicine indicated plans to...more
The State of Wisconsin Medical Examining Board recently held a hearing to consider a proposed rule that, if enacted, would provide the first administrative requirements around the use of telemedicine services in Wisconsin....more
A lonely sentence at the end of New Hampshire’s new telemedicine law could mean the Granite State will join 48 other states in offering Medicaid FFS coverage of telehealth services.
Interestingly, the very end of the Act...more
International markets – particularly developing countries with a need for the depth of expertise offered by U.S. health care providers – will play a significant role in driving telemedicine growth and continued health care...more
Often considered the primary obstacle to telemedicine implementation, reimbursement changes are now better viewed as one of the most prominent drivers of telemedicine expansion. Payers are finally beginning to realize what...more
The North Dakota Board of Medicine issued proposed regulations designed to move the Peace Garden State to the list of telemedicine-friendly states. The rules properly focus on the quality of care delivered, rather than the...more
Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) can share costs of telehealth and remote patient monitoring services among their hospitals, providers/suppliers, and other ACO participants, according to federal regulations under the...more
11/3/2015
/ ACOs ,
Alternative Payment Models (APM) ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Fee-for-Service ,
Fraud and Abuse ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Information Technologies ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Hospitals ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Shared Savings Program ,
OIG ,
Suppliers ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine ,
Value-Based Purchasing ,
Waivers
A physician in New Hampshire can now establish a valid doctor-patient relationship without needing a prior in-person exam. This is among several recent changes in New Hampshire’s telemedicine laws that offer new opportunities...more
10/27/2015
/ Controlled Substances ,
Electronic Medical Records ,
Electronic Prescribing ,
Exemptions ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Hospitals ,
In-Person Exam ,
Licensing Rules ,
Mental Health ,
New Legislation ,
Physicians ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Standard of Care ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
After New York became the 22nd state to enact a telemedicine commercial coverage statute, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an amendment changing the statute. The amendment makes sweeping changes to telehealth coverage under New...more
10/20/2015
/ Amended Legislation ,
Governor Cuomo ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Information Technologies ,
Health Insurance ,
Hospitals ,
Medicaid ,
Nurse Practitioners ,
Nurses ,
Physicians ,
Psychological Counseling ,
Reimbursements ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
Telehealth opportunities continue to grow at an exponential rate, aligning with the concurrent growth of retail and consumer-focused medicine. Capturing the retail sentiment, companies are looking to offer subscription-based...more
10/6/2015
/ Alternative Payment Models (APM) ,
Fees ,
Fixed Price ,
Fixed-Fee ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Licensing Rules ,
Retail Market ,
Risk-Based Approaches ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
As U.S. hospitals and health care providers continue to explore China’s market for international health care business opportunities, including telemedicine, they often consider providing services or products to consumers...more
9/28/2015
/ Advertising ,
China ,
Contract Drafting ,
Contract Negotiations ,
Endorsements ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Hospitals ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Sanctions ,
Telemedicine
Telehealth continues to be an innovative alternative to traditional brick-and-mortar medicine. The number of providers offering telehealth services is rapidly increasing and states are enacting laws requiring health plans to...more
9/8/2015
/ Alternative Payment Models (APM) ,
App Developers ,
China ,
Controlled Substances ,
DEA ,
Fourth Amendment ,
Fraud Alerts ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Independent Contractors ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Medical License ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization (MACRA) ,
OIG ,
Physician Compensation Arrangements ,
Physicians ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Private Equity ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine ,
Venture Capital
There will always be differences among state laws on telehealth coverage, but what is remarkable is the rapidly increasing pace at which states have been adopting coverage statutes in the last few years, with currently 29...more
9/1/2015
/ Amended Legislation ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Commercial Insurance Policies ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Information Technologies ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Plan Sponsors ,
Healthcare ,
Medicaid ,
Medical Devices ,
Medical Reimbursement ,
Medicare ,
New Legislation ,
Pending Legislation ,
Physicians ,
Reimbursements ,
Software Developers ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
Congress is reviewing legislation designed to permit telemedicine providers to treat Medicare patients across state lines without the need for separate state licensure. The Telemedicine for Medicare Act of 2015 (S. 1778 and...more
Health care providers who use telemedicine for remote prescribing of controlled substances should pay close attention to an important case currently pending at the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The case will decide whether...more
8/12/2015
/ Controlled Substances ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
DEA ,
Doctor-Patient Privilege ,
Electronic Prescribing ,
Fourth Amendment ,
Health Care Providers ,
In-Person Exam ,
Medical Records ,
Patient Privacy Rights ,
Physicians ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Probable Cause ,
Search Warrant ,
Subpoenas ,
Telemedicine ,
Warrantless Searches
The Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine enacted new guidelines governing the practice of telemedicine and the use of technology to deliver health care services. Effective June 2014, Maine’s guidelines expand upon prior Board...more
Nationwide, states continue to enact laws requiring commercial health plans to cover medical services provided via telemedicine to the same extent they cover medical services provided in-person. These laws are intended to...more
The Colorado Medical Board proposed updated draft guidelines for the delivery of healthcare services via telehealth, as well as remote prescribing for new patients. Recognizing that “using telehealth technologies in the...more
7/20/2015
/ Disclosure Requirements ,
Electronic Medical Records ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Information Technologies ,
Healthcare ,
Informed Consent ,
Medical Records ,
Physicians ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
Many telehealth and mHealth app developers are concerned about whether or not their app is a medical device under FDA regulations (and rightfully so), they often pay less attention to the Health Insurance Portability and...more
7/16/2015
/ App Developers ,
CMIA ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Security ,
Do Not Track ,
Electronic Medical Records ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Mobile Apps ,
Patient Confidentiality Breaches ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
PHI ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine ,
Vendors
Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) and co-sponsors Rep. Gregg Harper (R-MS), Rep. Diane Black (R-TN), and Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) announced, on July 7, 2015, the introduction of the Medicare Telehealth Parity Act of 2015,...more
7/15/2015
/ American Telemedicine Association ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
ESRD ,
FQHC ,
Health Care Providers ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Pending Legislation ,
Physician Medicare Reimbursements ,
Physicians ,
Reimbursements ,
Rural Health Care Program ,
Rural Health Care Providers ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
CMS just introduced proposed rules to clarify the requirements and payment opportunities when hospitals want to bill Medicare for Chronic Care Management (“CCM”) services.
CCM is an exciting service covered by Medicare...more
7/15/2015
/ Billing ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Information Technologies ,
Healthcare ,
Hospitals ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
OPPS ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Physicians ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Telehealth