A Telehealth Tutorial: Legal & Regulatory Issues

Hospitals and others are increasingly implementing telehealth programs as part of their service offerings. As health technology becomes more sophisticated and hospitals look to provide more services to more patients, telehealth technologies are being incorporated by hospitals by hospitals in diverse and innovative ways. As telehealth utilization continues to increase, however, hospitals should be aware that there are various significant legal and regulatory issues that must be closely analyzed to ensure that adoption of telehealth technologies is consistent and compliant with the various federal and state laws and regulations that may be implicated by telehealth. In conjunction with the American Hospital Association, my colleague Amy Lerman and I have co-written a white paper focusing on the some of the significant legal and regulatory issues implicated by telehealth including:

• Provider licensure;
• Online prescribing;
• Medical malpractice;
• Coverage and reimbursement;
• Privacy and security; and
• Fraud and abuse.

We also address the various federal and state legislative and other efforts underway. You can read the entire white paper by clicking here.