Dive Brief:
- A telehealth provision, which is part of pending legislation in Alaska (SB 74), is getting support from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
- The provision would allow providers who are licensed to practice in Alaska but who live out of state to conduct telehealth services without a prior patient physical exam. State licensed behavioral health providers would also be allowed to provide telehealth services.
- The FTC said the provision would expand the use of telehealth, increase competition, and lower costs - all of which would benefit underserved populations with limited healthcare access.
Dive Insight:
The FTC wrote a letter to Alaska's Rep. Steve Thompson in support of the provision. "FTC staff believes that the provisions in SB 74 that would allow out-of-state as well as in-state Alaska licensees to provide telehealth services without an in-person examination would represent a pro-competitive improvement in Alaska's telehealth law."
More insurers are reimbursing for telehealth services, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama and Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina, which offers telehealth to some members via its "Blue CareonDemand."
Earlier this month, the nation's capital proposed its first ever telemedicine regulations.
In Texas, however, there has been an ongoing telehealth battle where proposed rules by the Texas Medical Board require licensed providers to perform a face-to-face meeting with a patient before a telehealth visit.
A Texas-based telehealth provider, Teladoc, is fighting that rule in court. The company sued the board last year, and a federal judge decided in December to allow the case to move forward.