Telehealth Bill Amended to Include Behavioral Health

Article archive / May 2021

Originally published: . Volume 12, No. 5. Source pages: 5.

Representative Tanner Magee's HB 270 passed the House and moved to the Senate. HB 270 revises the definitions of the terms "telemedicine" and "telehealth" and exempts certain activity from laws pertaining to the practice of medicine.

The Summary of Amendments Adopted by House notes that: The Committee Amendments Proposed by House Committee on Health and Welfare to the original bill: Revise the definition of the term "telehealth" provided in proposed law to specify that the healthcare services encompassed by the term include behavioral health services. And, ,Restore present law defining "behavioral health services" for purposes of present law and proposed law comprising the Louisiana Telehealth Access Act. And, stipulate that the terms "telemedicine" and "telehealth" shall not include text messages that are not compliant with applicable requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended (HIPAA).


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