Epstein Becker Green’s newly released Appendix (2017) to the 50-State Survey of Telemental/Telebehavioral Health (2016) was featured in SearchHealthIT, in “Telehealth Laws Expanded, Updated in Nearly Every State,” by Tayla Holman.
Following is an excerpt:
Almost every state in the United States and the District of Columbia has updated their telehealth laws, not only expanding access to services but also clarifying how those services can be provided, according to a report by healthcare law firm Epstein Becker & Green. …
According to the report, telehealth is a good fit for mental health services “because mental health providers rarely have to lay hands on their patients, even in the context of conventional face-to-face care encounters.” Therefore, “providing the same services remotely using telehealth technology is not viewed as far removed from the way these services are provided in the in-person context,” the report said. …
Telemental and telebehavioral health services can also fill in the gaps for mental healthcare providers in rural areas or areas where there is a shortage of those providers. New technologies such as mobile health apps are also driving the growth of telemental health services, the report said.
