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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Calif. telehealth law may improve rural residents' access, lead to similar laws in other states

A new California law may make it easier for rural doctors and hospitals to use telehealth services. The law will eliminate the current in-person visit requirement before telehealth can be used, the required written consent form from patients, and the required independently credentialing doctors must obtain for each hospital where they will perform telehealth services, Jasmine Viel of KION reports.

The law "will be extremely beneficial to people in rural districts like mine, because it will allow health care providers to deliver better care at a lower cost to people that were previously out of reach," Rep. Dan Logue said in a news release. "Telehealth is a valuable tool that helps connect patients in underserved areas of the state to doctors and specialists that are located far from where the patient resides."

The law will become effective Jan. 1. It was supported by the California State Rural Health Association, the Center for Connected Health Policy, the California Telemedicine and eHealth Center, the California Telehealth Network and many other health-care organizations, Molly Merrill of Healthcare IT News reports. Steve Barrow, executive director of the state rural health group, said in a news release that the law will likely become a model for similar legislation across the nation. (Read more)

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