More good news for hospitals, health care providers, and entrepreneurs interested in telehealth and Chronic Care Management (CCM). CMS just recently introduced a new educational initiative called Connected Care: the Chronic...more
The Florida Board of Medicine will hold a public hearing on February 3, 2017 to discuss its proposed amendment to Florida’s telemedicine practice rules. The proposed amendment, published December 8, 2016, is intended to...more
The Joint Commission, which accredits hospitals and other health care organizations, recently announced it will not permit hospitals and other health care organizations to use secure text messaging platforms to transmit...more
Michigan is ringing in 2017 with a new telehealth law. Governor Rick Snyder signed into law SB 0753 on December 21, 2016, imposing new telehealth practice standards, including restrictions on prescribing controlled substances...more
Following a public hearing last month, the Wisconsin Medical Examining Board approved new rules for the practice of telemedicine. The rules differ notably from its first set of rules proposed in 2015 and considered at a...more
The Florida Board of Medicine issued a proposed amendment, on December 8, 2016, to its telemedicine regulations to clarify that physicians may not order medical cannabis or low-THC cannabis via telemedicine....more
The Arkansas State Medical Board on Thursday voted unanimously to pass Regulation 38 establishing key definitions for telemedicine practice in the State. The new regulation imposes specific Board of Medicine requirements for...more
The U.S. Department of Agriculture just announced new grant funding awarded to seven telemedicine and 11 distance learning projects across 16 states to use technology to expand access to health care, substance misuse...more
The Arkansas Legislative Council’s Rules and Regulations Subcommittee approved, on August 16, 2016, proposed regulations which, if accepted by the Arkansas Legislative Council, will remove some restrictions on telemedicine...more
Missouri’s governor signed into law SB 579 (the “Act”), on June 8, 2016, establishing new telemedicine practice standards, including explicitly allowing a valid physician-patient relationship to be established via...more
South Carolina Governor, Nikki Haley signed the South Carolina Telemedicine Act (S.B. 1035) into law, on June 3, 2016, establishing new telemedicine practice standards in the Palmetto State. Prior to the Act, the controlling...more
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) for CY 2017 on July 7, 2016. In it, CMS would require practitioners to use a new place of service (POS) code to...more
Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) announced, on July 27, 2016, the appointments of 13 representatives to the newly-created Florida Telehealth Advisory Council. The Telehealth Council was created through...more
The Joint Commission, which accredits hospitals and other health care organizations, hit pause on its prior May 2016 announcement to allow secure text messaging in hospitals and other health care organizations. The use of...more
Rhode Island marks the 31st state to enact a telemedicine commercial reimbursement statute. The Telemedicine Coverage Act (HB 7160B) was signed into law by Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo on June 28, 2016, representing a...more
Alaska Governor Bill Walker signed SB 74 into law on June 21, 2016, expanding the use of telemedicine in the Last Frontier state. Specifically, SB 74 removes Alaska’s previous in-state presence requirements for prescribing...more
Foley Partner Nathaniel Lacktman, head of the firm’s telemedicine and virtual care practice, participated in a comprehensive Q&A discussing the challenges and opportunities facing the telehealth market with Healthcare...more
Louisiana’s governor signed into law, HB 570, (the “Act”), eliminating a prior requirement that physicians practicing telemedicine maintain an office in Louisiana or contract with in-state providers. The Act also changes the...more
6/30/2016
/ Disclosure Requirements ,
Electronic Prescribing ,
Electronic Records ,
Health Care Providers ,
Informed Consent ,
Medical Examiners ,
New Legislation ,
Physicians ,
Standard of Care ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine ,
Venue
New York introduced a new bill designed to ensure commercial health plans pay for telehealth services at the same rate the plans pay for in-person services. The legislation, SB 7953, comes on the heels of New York’s...more
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signed a bill (S.B. 1363) into law, on May 17, 2016, requiring private health plans to pay for telemedicine services across the whole state rather than only services received in rural areas of the...more
Arkansas was ranked last among all states in a recent report by the American Telemedicine Association on telemedicine practice standards. Earlier this year, we reported on the Arkansas Board of Medicine’s plans to remedy its...more
Virginia has made strides to expand the telehealth offerings available to its residents and the Old Dominion took another step forward advancing telemedicine when it enacted a bill amending Virginia Code § 38.2-3418.16 to...more
4/14/2016
/ Controlled Substances ,
Data Security ,
Electronic Medical Records ,
Electronic Prescribing ,
Health Care Providers ,
Informed Consent ,
Licensing Rules ,
New Legislation ,
Physicians ,
State Medical Board ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D) signed into law, on March 24, 2016, a new bill (House Bill No. 4463) implementing a variety of telemedicine practice standards and remote prescribing rules in the Mountain State....more
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) signed into law, on March 21, 2016, a new bill (House Act No. 1263) implementing a variety of telemedicine practice standards and remote prescribing rules in the Hoosier State. Effective July 1,...more
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