Amy Lerman, and Francesca R. Ozinal, co-authors of Epstein Becker Green’s 2019 Telemental Health Laws Survey, were quoted in MobiHealthNews, in “Annual Nationwide Survey Reports Increasing Telehealth Access Legislation, Bipartisan Support,” by Dave Muoio. For more information and to read our analysis of regulatory requirements for mental health and behavioral health practitioners, please see our Announcement, “Epstein Becker Green Finds Telehealth Services Are Increasingly Accessible to Mental Health Professionals Despite Legislative Barriers.”

Following is an excerpt:

Epstein Becker Green has released the annual update to its Telemental Health Laws Survey, a state-by-state breakdown of behavioral telehealth services coverage compiled (as of last year) into a free app.

Broadly, the 2019 update suggests increasing interest and acceptance of telehealth services for addressing behavioral health issues, according to an overview of the updates published by the survey’s authors. This support is largely bipartisan, and at least partially driven by the US’ ongoing opioid epidemic.

“The significant value derived from utilizing telehealth technology in tackling mental and behavioral issues, such as substance use disorders (SUDs), is apparent in the number of bills introduced before the US Congress that include the use of telehealth technology as a strategy,” Amy F. Lerman and Francesca R. Ozinal, both of whom are part of Epstein Becker Green’s Health Care and Life Sciences practice, wrote.

“In [addition], states have taken a variety of different approaches to addressing the opioid crisis, many of which involve the use of telehealth technology. Several states, including Indiana, Michigan, and Missouri, have introduced and/or passed legislation that would expand remote prescribing of controlled substances for treatment of SUDs. … Similarly, Michigan and Missouri permit the prescribing of controlled substances via telehealth as long as physicians adhere to the standards of care applicable to their profession relative to the act of prescribing controlled substances.”

Jump to Page

Privacy Preference Center

When you visit any website, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This information might be about you, your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalized web experience. Because we respect your right to privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings. However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.

Performance Cookies

These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.