Arkansas lawmakers pass telemedicine bill

Corrected: An earlier version of this story misidentified the governor.

A bill that removes barriers on access to telemedicine in Arkansas has been sent to Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

H.B. 1063, which overwhelmingly passed both the state Senate and House of Representatives this month, amends the state’s Telemedicine Act, authorizes additional reimbursement for telemedicine via telephone and allows for patients to choose their telemedicine provider, among other changes.

The bill would also create rules for documenting telemedicine visits, stating that documentation is “subject to the same audit and review process required by payers and governmental agencies when requesting documentation of other care delivery such as in-office or face-to-face visits.”

The bill would go into effect immediately and would expire when the state’s COVID-19 state of emergency, extended indefinitely in February, expires.

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