Telemedicine Is Expanding

If you are interested in telemedicine like I am, this map should be of interest. This is the link to check from time to time for changes. Several state legislatures are still in session and thus there may be some more changes.

The Current "State" of Telehealth Reimbursement:

Latest Update April 2013 (referenced from ATAwiki):

States with the year of enactment: Arizona (2013)*, California (1996), Georgia (2006), Hawaii (1999), Kentucky (2000), Louisiana (1995), Maine (2009), Maryland (2012), Michigan (2012), Mississippi (2013), Montana (2013), New Hampshire (2009), New Mexico (2013), Oklahoma (1997), Oregon (2009), Texas (1997), Vermont (2012), Virginia (2010)

States with proposed/pending legislation: In 2013, Arizona (ENACTED), Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Mississippi (ENACTED), Missouri, Montana (ENACTED), New Mexico (ENACTED), New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and the District of Columbia
*No statewide coverage. Applies to rural areas only. (Arizona)

October 2012: States that reimburse for telehealth services: Maryland became the 13th state to require private sector insurance companies to pay for telehealth services. Maryland joined California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Virginia in mandating that private payers cover telehealth services that are considered medically necessary and would otherwise be covered when provided face-to-face.

The information is from several links to make what is on the image more readable. In addition, this link describes several of the developing programs in telemedicine.

I am concerned about conflicts with some states and their Physical Examination Requirements (PER). And with the federal component of PER, will this prevent telemedicine in some forms. Or will the telemedicine laws allow prescriptions. There is much in the way of legal problems to be resolved.

My state does not have a PER law (failed to make it out of committee again), but the state medical board is opposing the telemedicine bill and it failed to make it out of committee this year.