Florida Lawmakers Push Telehealth Legislation Forward

The Florida Senate recently passed legislation that would broaden the scope of telehealth services in the state, according to local reports.

Last week, the Senate set up a final vote for the House’s telehealth bill (HB 23), legislation that  would allow licensed out-of-state healthcare providers who register with the state to offer telehealth to Florida residents, according to a report in the Orlando Sentinel. The Senate then passed the bill earlier this week, sending it up to Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The legislation provides exceptions as well, such as allowing a provider who is not licensed in Florida, but is in another state, to provide emergency telehealth care, even if he or she isn’t registered in Florida. Also, providers who work in consultation with licensed Florida healthcare professionals who would have ultimate authority over diagnoses and care of patients would also be exempt from registering, per this legislation.

In Florida, stakeholders have been pushing for physicians to get reimbursed for providing telehealth services to patients, but in the past the payment issues have proved too challenging to overcome. In this latest bill, however, an amendment would allow insurance companies and HMO networks to cover out-of-state providers. It would specifically “modify the state’s current insurance laws to make clear that contracts signed by HMOs and insurers with telehealth providers are ‘voluntary,’” according to the Orlando Sentinel.

The agreed upon contracts between insurers and providers “must establish mutually acceptable payment rates or payment methodologies for services provided through telehealth,” according to the bill’s language. And only telehealth providers could initiate contract provisions that reimburse telehealth differently than for in-person visits.

Sen. Gayle Harrell said the bill would help bring Florida medicine “into the 21st century.”

Licensing providers across state lines has long been a challenge, as clinicians who want to treat patients in another state have historically had to apply for and pay for licenses in those states—a costly and time-consuming process. Some state boards have also sought to prevent or limit the expansion of telehealth, citing patient safety concerns.

But in 2017, the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact officially began accepting applications from qualified physicians who wished to obtain multiple licenses from participating states. The Compact has been expected to expand access to healthcare, especially to those in rural and underserved areas of the country, and facilitate the use of telehealth technologies in the delivery of healthcare. More than half of U.S. states have signed the Compact so far.