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.
Fool Me Twice: Why the Texas Grid is Still Vulnerable to Winter Storms | Part 2: Projecting Winter Outage Risk Through 2030
Part 2: Projecting Winter Outage Risk Through 2030 As Texas approaches the five-year anniversary of Winter Storm Uri, the ERCOT grid faces growing vulnerability to winter power outages. This analysis projects that by 2030, the same type of storm that would cause approximately 12 hours of outages today could result in nearly 24 hours of...