As Arkansas contemplates telemedicine regulations, a national trade andlobbying group has weighed in with recommendations for the state tofollow when setting those guidelines.

The ERISA Industry Committee submitted a letter to the ArkansasState Medical Board, encouraging it to adopt four standards that,the group said, will help create a national approach totelemedicine regulation.

The recommendations would “allow for a variety of technological solutions, limit additionalrequirements on providers, avoid restrictions that lock patientsinto visiting only certain sites for medical services, and makerules patient-centric, giving patients expanded access to carethrough telemedicine visits and remote monitoring of their healthconditions,” wrote Annette Guarisco Fildes, president and CEO ofERIC.

Fildes urged the state medical board to strongly consider thefollowing recommendations that would lead to regulations that:

• Would call for technology-neutral requirements, permitting useof different types of technology platforms that are designed fortelemedicine;

• Avoid imposing additional requirements on providers that offertelemedicine services that are not imposed on in-person visits;

• Avoid originating site restrictions that require patients tovisit certain locations in order to access telemedicineservices;

• Consider the needs of patients to have better access to carethat can be provided via telemedicine, either through atelemedicine visit or remote monitoring of health conditions.

“Our members need consistent telehealth policies around thecountry so that their workers and their families can enjoy the samecompany benefits regardless of the state in which they live orwork. It is imperative that funds to pay benefits are maximized andnot diverted to coping with administrative and legal challengesstemming from a myriad of disparate and potentially conflictingstate rules and regulations,” Fildes said.