Signed into law on October 7th by Governor Jerry Brown, California Assembly Bill AB 415, “The Telehealth Advancement Act of 2011,” will make it easier for healthcare providers to use telehealth in the treatment of patients, especially in underserved areas of the state.
Sponsored by Assemblyman Dan Logue (R-Linda) in concert with the California State Rural Health Association and the Center for Connected Health Policy, AB 415 is supported by a wide array of stakeholders in the healthcare arena and received strong bipartisan support from throughout the state.
“Telehealth has the potential to cut costs, increase access, and improve the quality of health care in California,” commented Logue. “California has been a leader in this area and AB 415 continues to move us forward.”
AB 415 will break down several barriers in California law in order to increase the use of telehealth in the delivery of healthcare and remove obsolete provisions pertaining to this expanding mode of healthcare delivery. Specifically, it will remove requirements to obtain additional, written informed consent and to document a barrier to an in-person visit prior to using telehealth through Medi-Cal. The law will also eliminate restrictions on the type of settings where telehealth may be used and on reimbursement for email or telephone consultations.
Another key provision in AB 415 is the replacement of the term “telemedicine” in statute with the broader and more appropriate term “telehealth” – currently in practice today.
Finally, the law clarifies state policy to allow California healthcare facilities to utilize a streamlined telehealth credentialing process recently approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
“This was a tremendous example of state-wide collaboration involving many organizations sharing a common goal,” said Center for Telehealth Vice President Jana Katz-Bell. “We also appreciated the support and expertise of our colleagues at CTeL who provided important insights as the legislation progressed. We are very pleased with the outcome.”
Today’s technology dramatically improves patient access to specialty care and provides for interaction and training between leading medical professionals and their colleague in remote locations. Underserved areas suffer from acute shortages in medical, dental, and other related professions. Telehealth helps bridge that gap through cost-effective technology that greatly benefits both the healthcare providers and the patients.
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article from http://www.ctel.org/
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