10 Things to Know About Telehealth Compliance

Providing care via electronic communication when patients and providers are in separate locations, known as telemedicine or telehealth, has been possible for decades. The exigent circumstances sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic led to a telehealth boom. Pre-pandemic, telehealth was constrained by limited reimbursement, cross-border licensure requirements and access to technology. The coronavirus expedited the necessity to deliver care in new ways and, along with increased flexibility in reimbursement, led to explosive growth in these services. Eventually, telemedicine, telehealth, digital health, eHealth and similar terms are likely to become such a part of the fabric of the healthcare continuum that they will simply be referred to as "healthcare." For now, however, these methods of care delivery require special compliance considerations as they are subject to myriad state and federal health care regulations.