Telemedicine refers to medical care provided remotely through the use of technology. Health care providers are increasingly using telephones, audiovisual platforms, smartphone applications, and other technologies to assess, monitor, diagnose, and even treat their patients remotely. Innovation in the field of telemedicine advances so rapidly year after year that attempts to regulate the industry often fail to remain relevant, even in the short-term.In the 85th Legislature, Texas fundamentally changed the way it defined and regulated telemedicine. SB 1107 broadened the definition of telemedicine to include more accessible telecommunication technologies, such as phone calls and faxes. It also lifted the Texas Medical Board’s (TMB) blanket requirement on practitioners to complete an in-person consultation prior to providing telemedicine services, including those resulting in a prescription. Lifting this burden on patients and providers significantly increased access to care for populations that struggle to visit a doctor in person, including rural, disabled, and elderly Texans.
TrumpRx is a Game-Changer, Texas Can Go Even Further
President Trump’s TrumpRx initiative is a game-changer in the fight to lower prescription drug prices for everyday Americans. For far too long, prescription medication costs have been obscenely high, not because of the true cost of research and manufacturing, but because of a tangled web of insurance plans, middlemen, and opaque price-setting that enriches gatekeepers...