interstate compacts Archives - OF DIGITAL INTEREST

Trending in Telehealth: July 18 – 24, 2023

by Marshall E. Jackson, Jr. and Grayson Dimick | Jul 26, 2023 | Telehealth

Trending in Telehealth is a new series from the McDermott digital health team in which we highlight state legislative and regulatory developments that impact the healthcare providers, telehealth and digital health companies, pharmacists and technology companies that deliver and facilitate the delivery of virtual care.

Trending in the past week:

Interstate compacts

A CLOSER LOOK

Finalized Legislation and Rulemaking

Connecticut enacted Substitute for SB 9, which enters the state into the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact.
Hawaii enacted SB 674, which enters the state into the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact.
Maine enacted LD 1749, which enters the state into the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact. Maine also enacted LD 717, which enters the state into the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact.
Rhode Island enacted HB 5737, which enters the state into the Nurse Licensure Compact.

Legislation and Rulemaking Activity in Proposal Phase

Highlights:

Alaska proposed a rule that would establish teletherapy standards of practice for psychologists and psychological associates, with the aim of providing clear guidelines for engaging in technology-assisted distance professional services.

Why it matters:

There continues to be elevated activity surrounding licensure compacts. This year has seen an uptick in legislative activity by states seeking to ease out-of-state licensure barriers through the use of interstate compacts. Certain compacts have a majority of states as members. As examples, Hawaii and Missouri became the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact’s 40th and 41st members, respectively, while Rhode Island became the Nurse Licensure Compact’s 41st member. As established compacts continue to grow their membership, a new compact has emerged: Missouri joined the Social Worker Licensure Compact earlier in July, becoming the first state to adopt the compact.

Telehealth is an important development in care delivery, but the regulatory patchwork is complicated. The McDermott digital health team works alongside the industry’s leading providers, payors and technology innovators to help them enter new markets, break down barriers to delivering accessible care and mitigate enforcement risk through proactive compliance. Are you working to make healthcare more accessible through telehealth? Let us help you transform telehealth.

Trending in Telehealth: May 31 – June 5, 2023

by Marshall E. Jackson, Jr. and Adetoro Olugbemi | Jun 9, 2023 | Telehealth

Trending in Telehealth is a new series from the McDermott digital health team in which we highlight state legislative and regulatory developments that impact the healthcare providers, telehealth and digital health companies, pharmacists, and technology companies that deliver and facilitate the delivery of virtual care.

Trending in the past week:

Interstate Compacts
Medical Cannabis
Mental Health

A CLOSER LOOK

Finalized Legislation & Rulemaking

Iowa enacted HF 671, adopting the Professional Counselors Licensure Compact.
Minnesota enacted HF 100, permitting the medical sale and use of cannabis through the state’s registry program. HF 100 permits remote pharmacist consultations by secure videoconference, telephone or other remote means, as long as the pharmacist engaging in the consultation is able to confirm the identity of the patient and the consultation adheres to patient privacy requirements that apply to healthcare services delivered through telemedicine. A Minnesota licensed physician, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) must determine on a yearly basis if the patient continues to have a qualifying medical condition for enrollment on the Division of Medical Cannabis registry.
Missouri passed a final rule establishing the Telehealth Dental Pilot Project for Medically Underserved Populations to examine new methods of extending dental care to residents in assisted living facilities, intermediate care facilities, residential care facilities and skilled nursing facilities, and homebound special needs patients. This rule permits the supervision of dental assistants and dental hygienists using telehealth technology.
Oklahoma enacted SB 12, creating a mental health transport revolving fund for the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. This law permits telemedicine assessments of patients when assessments are requested by sheriffs or peace officers. The state’s criminal code defines the term peace officer as “any sheriff, police officer, federal law enforcement officer, tribal law enforcement officer, or any other law enforcement officer whose duty it is to enforce and preserve the public peace.” Okla. Stat. tit. 21 § 99.
Vermont enacted three telehealth-related laws:
- H 62 adopts the Interstate Counseling Compact to facilitate interstate practice of licensed professional counselors with the goal of improving public access to professional counseling services.
- H 86 adopts the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact, which streamlines the licensure process for audiologists and speech-language pathologists and allows the use of telehealth technology to facilitate increased access to audiology and speech-language pathology services.
- H 282 adopts the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact, which regulates the day-to-day practice of telepsychology and streamlines the licensure process for psychologists.

Legislation & Rulemaking Activity in Proposal Phase

Highlights:

Connecticut progressed HB 6768, which would permit physicians, APRNs and physician assistants to certify a qualifying patient’s use of medical marijuana and provide follow-up care using telehealth if they comply with other statutory certification and recordkeeping requirements.
Louisiana progressed two bills:
- HB181 would [...]
  
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Trending in Telehealth: May 16 – 22, 2023

by Stacey Callaghan and Taylor Hood | May 26, 2023 | Telehealth

Trending in Telehealth is a series from the McDermott digital health team in which we highlight state legislative and regulatory developments that impact healthcare providers, telehealth and digital health companies, pharmacists, and technology companies that deliver and facilitate virtual care.

Trending in the past week:

Interstate Compacts
Telehealth Flexibilities

A CLOSER LOOK

Finalized Legislation & Rulemaking

The North Carolina General Assembly voted to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of SB 20. Dubbed the Care for Women, Children, and Families Act, SB 20 operates to reduce access to reproductive health services, including by eliminating the provider’s ability to give patients information contained in the relevant consent form over the telephone. The legislation takes effect July 1.

Legislation and Rulemaking Activity in Proposal Phase

Highlights:

Alaska progressed legislation (SB 75) in the first chamber to join the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact.
Illinois progressed legislation (SB 2123) in the first chamber to adopt the Counseling Compact.
Oregon progressed legislation (SB 232) that would update the Oregon Medical Board’s telemedicine regulations at 52 O.R.S. §§ 677.080 and 677.137 to clarify that the practice of medicine occurs where a patient is physically located.
Texas continued to progress legislation (HB 1771) that would require each agency with regulatory authority over a health professional providing a telemedicine, teledentistry or telehealth to adopt rules to standardize formats for and retention of records related to a patient’s consent to treatment, data collection and data sharing.
Texas also progressed legislation (HB 617) in the first chamber that would establish a pilot project to provide emergency medical and prehospital care instruction through telemedicine/telehealth services by regional trauma resource centers to healthcare providers in rural area trauma facilities.

Why it matters:

Interstate compact adoption remains elevated. States continue to progress legislation that would enact licensure compacts across healthcare professions. This week, Alaska and Illinois took steps to adopt compacts that would ease out-of-state licensure hurdles and improve shared systems across public agencies.
Texas addresses rural care via telehealth. Many states are progressing legislation that would permanently extend telehealth flexibilities to allow providers to practice across counties and use technologies to reach and educate patients in rural low-access areas.

Telehealth is an important development in care delivery, but the regulatory patchwork is complicated. The McDermott digital health team works alongside the industry’s leading providers, payors and technology innovators to help them enter new markets, break down barriers to delivering accessible care and mitigate enforcement risk through proactive compliance. Are you working to make healthcare more accessible through telehealth? Let us help you transform telehealth.

Trending in Telehealth: May 8 – 15, 2023

by Purnima Boominathan and Taylor Hood | May 19, 2023 | Telehealth

Trending in Telehealth is a series from the McDermott digital health team in which we highlight state legislative and regulatory developments that impact healthcare providers, telehealth and digital health companies, pharmacists, and technology companies that deliver and facilitate virtual care.

Trending in the past week:

Inmate Health
Interstate Compacts

A CLOSER LOOK

Finalized Legislation and Rulemaking

Highlights:

Florida enacted legislation, HB 267, eliminating the explicit exclusion of audio-only telephone calls from the definition of telehealth in Florida’s telehealth practice standards. Accordingly, telephones are now a permitted telecommunications technology to provide telehealth services in Florida. Sponsored by Representative Fabricio, the bill passed the Florida Legislature unanimously and will take effect on July 1, 2023.
Vermont, in response to the US Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs, enacted the Shield Bill, S 37, providing protections to patients and providers that receive or administer abortion and gender-affirming care.

Legislation and Rulemaking Activity in Proposal Phase

Highlights:

Iowa sent legislation to the governor, HF 671, that would establish the Professional Counselors Licensure Compact for professional counselors.
Louisiana progressed legislation, SB 186, that would allow Louisiana to join the Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact.
Missouri progressed legislation in the Second Chamber, SB 70, that would adopt the interstate Counseling Compact for professional counselors.
Texas progressed legislation, HB 3739/SB 1146, that would combine resources from the Department of Corrections and the University of Texas and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center to explore ways to increase opportunities and expand access to telehealth-delivered services in correctional facilities.
Vermont progressed legislation, H 86/H 62, that would establish the Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact and the interstate Counseling Compact for professional counselors.

Why it matters:

States continue to adopt interstate compacts. Well into the legislative session, states continue to introduce and progress legislation that would enact licensure compacts across healthcare professions. Just this week, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri and Vermont took steps to adopt compacts that will improve continuity of care when clients or professionals travel, create a shared licensure data system, and protect public integrity by allowing the rapid sharing of investigative and disciplinary information.
Texas addresses inmate care via telehealth. The proposed legislation in Texas indicates the state’s desire to turn to telemedicine to provide healthcare services to individuals incarcerated in Texas prisons and jails. Proponents argue that increasing access to care for inmates via telemedicine reduces costs and improves outcomes.

Telehealth is an important development in care delivery, but the regulatory patchwork is complicated. The McDermott digital health team works alongside the industry’s leading providers, payors and technology innovators to help them enter new markets, break down barriers to delivering accessible care and mitigate enforcement risk through proactive compliance. Are you working to make healthcare more accessible through telehealth? Let us help you transform telehealth.

Trending in Telehealth: May 2– 8, 2023

by Lisa Mazur, Amanda Enyeart and Taylor Hood | May 12, 2023 | Telehealth

Trending in Telehealth is a series from the McDermott digital health team in which we highlight state legislative and regulatory developments that impact healthcare providers, telehealth and digital health companies, pharmacists and technology companies that deliver and facilitate virtual care.

Trending in the past week:

Maternal Health
Licensure/Prescription Flexibilities
Interstate Compacts

A CLOSER LOOK

Finalized Legislation & Rulemaking
Highlights:

Georgia enacted SB 106 also known as the Healthy Babies Act. The legislation, sponsored by Senate Majority Caucus Senator Larry Walker III, creates a three-year pilot program for remote maternal health services via the Georgia Department of Community Health. Beginning in FY 2024, the program will provide remote monitoring for pregnant women under the state’s Medicaid program. State legislators prioritized this bill in an effort to increase benefits for at-risk mothers in underserved rural communities. The program’s expanded benefits aim to encourage expecting mothers to utilize prenatal care.
Montana enacted legislation, SB 112, creating a new section related to a pharmacist’s prescribing authority exception. The exception states that a pharmacist may prescribe a drug or device for a legitimate medical purpose, as allowed under this section, for a person with whom the pharmacist has a patient-prescriber relationship. Supporters of the bill cited access-to-care hurdles for rural communities that could otherwise be overcome by allowing pharmacists to serve as a point of first contact. The bill, modeled after similar legislation passed in Idaho, will allow patients to be treated for certain minor conditions without having to visit a doctor’s office. Montana also enacted legislation (SB 214) to enact the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Compact and Occupational Therapy Compact (SB 155).
Oklahoma enacted legislation, SB 754, authorizing licensed dentists to allow teledentistry treatment by certain dental hygienists for patients in certain long-term care settings.

Legislation Rulemaking Activity in Proposal Phase
Highlights:

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Trending in Telehealth: April 11 – 17, 2023

by Marshall E. Jackson, Jr. and Jayda Greco | Apr 21, 2023 | Telehealth

Trending in Telehealth is a series from the McDermott digital health team in which we highlight state legislative and regulatory developments that impact healthcare providers, telehealth and digital health companies, pharmacists and technology companies that deliver and facilitate virtual care.

Trending in the past week:

Interstate Compacts
Telehealth Coverage and Reimbursement
Informed Consent Standards

A CLOSER LOOK

Finalized Legislation & Rulemaking

In North Dakota, HB 1095 was enacted. The legislation requires health carriers to, in part, provide coverage for licensed pharmacists to provide comprehensive medication management, which may be provided via telehealth. North Dakota also enacted HB 1530, which requires that Medicaid cover asynchronous teledentistry.
Florida enacted SB 300. The legislation prohibits physicians from using telehealth to provide abortions or prescribe abortion-inducing medication. It also requires the physical in-person presence of a physician with a patient when an abortion is performed or when abortion-inducing medication is dispensed.

Legislation & Rulemaking Activity in Proposal Phase

Highlights:

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Trending in Telehealth: March 6 – March 12, 2023

by Marshall E. Jackson, Jr. and Ashley Ogedegbe | Mar 16, 2023 | Telehealth

Trending in Telehealth is a new series from the McDermott Digital Health team in which we highlight state legislative and regulatory developments that impact the healthcare providers, telehealth and digital health companies, pharmacists, and technology companies that deliver and facilitate the delivery of virtual care.

Trending in the past week:

Interstate Compacts
Medicaid and Private Payor Reimbursement
Prescribing
Health Practitioner Licensing
Behavioral Health

A CLOSER LOOK
Finalized Legislation & Rulemaking:

In Oregon, the Workers’ Compensation Division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services adopted a final rule that updates and incorporates by reference the new medical billing codes and fee schedule for telehealth and telemedicine services published by the American Medical Association. The rule, which becomes effective on April 1, 2023, among other things, specifies that providers should use certain place of service codes to indicate where the provider provides medical services to a patient through telehealth (i.e., place of service code “02” to be used for “Telehealth provided other than in a patient’s home,” and place of service code “10” to be used for “Telehealth provided in a patient’s home.”). The rule also clarifies that modifier 95 should be used when a provider renders synchronous medical services via a real-time interactive audio and video telecommunication system (i.e., technology that permits the provider and patient to hear each other and see each other in real-time).
In Colorado, the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing adopted an emergency rule that aims to expand access to healthcare in rural communities by launching two new projects, the Health Care Access Project and the Health Care Affordability Project. The Health Care Access Project will, among other things, increase access to telemedicine, including remote monitoring support, while the Health Care Affordability project aims to modernize the information technology infrastructure of qualified rural providers through shared analytics and care coordination platforms, enabling technologies, including telehealth and e-consult systems, and funding for qualified rural providers to share clinical information and consult electronically to manage patient care. The projects are currently set to commence no earlier than July 1, 2023 and to conclude no later than December 31, 2026.
Texas passed two rules: the first rule clarifies that during telehealth sessions, chiropractors must conspicuously display a mandatory notice from the Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners (Board) that provides patients with the Board’s contact information in the event that the patient wants to issue a complaint against the chiropractor, and the second rule clarifies that licensed marriage and family therapists that provide telehealth services must complete two hours of continuing education in technology-assisted services.

Legislation & Rulemaking Activity in Proposal Phase:
Highlights:

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Trending in Telehealth: February 27 – March 5, 2023

by Ashley Ogedegbe and Dale C. Van Demark | Mar 13, 2023 | Telehealth

Trending in Telehealth is a new series from the McDermott Digital Health team in which we highlight state legislative and regulatory developments that impact the healthcare providers, telehealth and digital health companies, pharmacists, and technology companies that deliver and facilitate the delivery of virtual care.

Trending in the past week:

Interstate Compacts
Medicaid Reimbursement
Prescribing
Health Practitioner Licensing
Behavioral Health

A CLOSER LOOK
Finalized Legislation & Rulemaking: 10

Virginia continues to have significant activity:
- The state’s legislature “enrolled” or agreed to the final version of the Counseling Compact (HB 1433). If signed by the governor, the bill will be effective on January 1, 2024.
- Virginia legislators also finalized a separate bill (SB 1119) which modifies licensing exceptions for out of state practitioners utilizing telemedicine for patients within the state who are in the same specialty and who belong to the same group practice. The bill was sent to the governor for approval on March 2, 2023.
- A third bill (HB 1602) approved by legislators among other things, amends the state Medicaid plan by specifying that a health care provider duly licensed in the Commonwealth who provides health care services exclusively through telehealth services will not be required to maintain a physical presence in the Commonwealth to be considered an eligible provider for enrollment.
Colorado legislators passed bill (HB 1071) requiring licensed psychologists to obtain a prescription certificate from the Colorado Medical Board to administer or prescribe psychotropic medication via telepsychology. The bill was sent to the governor for approval on March 1, 2023.
In Tennessee, the governor signed a bill (SB 1) prohibiting the use of telehealth services for the benefit of a minor with respect to a medical procedure related to discordance between a minor’s sex and identity.
Utah legislators agreed to pass a bill (SB 237) that eases the supervision requirements for dental hygienists by authorizing the practice of dental hygiene in a public health setting without general supervision by a dentist, usually via teledentistry and electronic methods, and without a collaborative practice agreement with a dentist under certain conditions. The bill will be sent to the governor for approval.
New York has finalized a rule (NY A 2200) providing for patient prescription pricing transparency through “real-time benefit tools” (RTBTs) which are electronic prescription decision support tools that can integrate with a health care provider’s electronic prescribing system. The rule parallels the Medicare Advantage and Part D Drug Pricing Final Rule published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services which require Part D plans to offer RTBTs to enrollees starting January 1, 2023 so that plan enrollees can access formulary, cost-sharing, and benefit information in real-time and potentially find lower-cost alternatives under their prescription drug plan.

Legislation & Rulemaking Activity in Proposal Phase: 17
Highlights:

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