After years of contentious debate, the Legislature has approved a telemedicine bill that now makes it legal in Texas for doctors to see patients via video, without having another health care professional with the patient or having seen the patient in the past.
Last week, the House and Senate agreed on all the terms of the legislation, and it's expected to be signed by Gov. Greg Abbott.
It's a victory for telemedicine, or telehealth, providers, who for years had fought the Texas Medical Board on the cutting-edge service.
Texas would be the last state to allow telemedicine, though it's home to a company called Teladoc, a leading provider of the health service.
"It's been a challenge in the past to get the stakeholders to pull in the same direction and get to a place of agreement," said Rep. Four Price, R-Amarillo. "A lot of effort has taken place to advance this measure, and I feel good about where we are and what the bill does."
Telemedicine providers have fought over what services can be offered since 2011, when the medical board accused Teladoc of violating state laws on prescribing controlled substances. They threatened disciplinary action against physicians who offered the service. An appeals court ruled in favor of Teladoc in 2014.
In 2015, the medical board proposed a rule that would require face-to-face visits before doctors could issue a telemedicine prescription, and again Teladoc sued the board.
Now, everybody appears happy.
"Texans can now count on the right to access all virtual health care options to get quality care when and where they need it," said Jason Gorevic, CEO of Lewisville-based Teladoc.
Gorevic praised the authors of the bill, Dr. Charles Schwertner in the Senate and Price in the House, along with industry officials who fought to allow the practice in Texas.
Under the bill, doctors can now treat patients without physically seeing them, as long as the treatment considers relevant medical records and tests.
The Texas Medical Board still has oversight on telemedicine, as it does traditional health services.
Price said the bill mandates that telemedicine services be paid for like regular doctor visits, meaning it's covered by insurance.
"It very clearly defines that a covered service could not be impacted negatively by health plans, so we're going to protect the arrangement that folks expect under their health insurance," he said. "It really advances the idea that telemedicine advances a service that is already covered."
Potential telemedicine patients could come from all parts of Texas, lawmakers say.
"It will help folks all across the state, especially in rural areas where access to health care can be a challenge," he said. "But it will help even in congested urban or suburban areas. It will open some doors and make it more convenient."
Supporters of telemedicine hope its convenience will promote follow-up visits to the doctor through audiovisual techniques.
The technology is not mandated for patients nor designed to replace primary care doctors.
"There's so much need for telemedicine in Texas," said W. Stephen Love, CEO of the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council. "This is clearly a step in the right direction."
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