The State of Arkansas has rejected House Bill 1747 by a vote of 49-21. Rep. Dan Sullivan, R-Jonesboro sponsored the bill, promising that it will open up the telemedicine healthcare door “to give access and save hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
Opponents said Arkansas’ residents deserve face-to-face medical care.
“It certainly is an exciting time in medicine … but I think we need to slow this process down,” Rep. Stephen Magie, D-Conway, told Arkansas Online. “Just because it costs less doesn’t mean it’s good medicine. It may sound good but I think in the long term it’s going to sell our patients short.”
The bill would allow telehealth providers to offer video-based care to Arkansas residents, using doctors licensed and living in the state. It would not allow audio-only, e-mail, text messages or online questionnaires as the first and primary point of contact between doctor and patient.
Still alive is a Senate-backed bill pending before the House that would allow telemedicine services in Arkansas, but only after the doctor and patient first met in person.
Among other states debating telemedicine/telehealth legislation are Florida, Minnesota, Idaho, Texas and Colorado. As of February this year, at least 23 states and the District of Columbia have laws on the books that require private payers to reimburse telemedicine services at rates equal to in-person visits, according to the American Telemedicine Association.
[Via: mHealthNews]