As Arkansas contemplates telemedicine regulations, a national trade and lobbying group has weighed in with recommendations for the state to follow when setting those guidelines.
The ERISA Industry Committee submitted a letter to the Arkansas State Medical Board, encouraging it to adopt four standards that, the group said, will help create a national approach to telemedicine regulation.
The recommendations would “allow for a variety of technological solutions, limit additional requirements on providers, avoid restrictions that lock patients into visiting only certain sites for medical services, and make rules patient-centric, giving patients expanded access to care through telemedicine visits and remote monitoring of their health conditions,” wrote Annette Guarisco Fildes, president and CEO of ERIC.
Fildes urged the state medical board to strongly consider the following recommendations that would lead to regulations that:
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Would call for technology-neutral requirements, permitting use of different types of technology platforms that are designed for telemedicine;
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Avoid imposing additional requirements on providers that offer telemedicine services that are not imposed on in-person visits;
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Avoid originating site restrictions that require patients to visit certain locations in order to access telemedicine services;
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Consider the needs of patients to have better access to care that can be provided via telemedicine, either through a telemedicine visit or remote monitoring of health conditions.
“Our members need consistent telehealth policies around the country so that their workers and their families can enjoy the same company benefits regardless of the state in which they live or work. It is imperative that funds to pay benefits are maximized and not diverted to coping with administrative and legal challenges stemming from a myriad of disparate and potentially conflicting state rules and regulations,” Fildes said.
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
