California Legislators Review Telehealth Report Designed to Improve the State’s Health Care System

The Report Was Developed as a Collaboration Among Prominent California Health Care Leaders

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- During a legislative hearing last week, California lawmakers reviewed a report entitled, Advancing California's Leadership in Telehealth Policy: A Telehealth Model Statute & Other Policy Recommendations by The Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP). Telehealth, the provision of health care from a distance, uses technology to improve access to care and health outcomes when patients are hundreds or even thousands of miles away from healthcare providers. In an effort to expand the availability of Telehealth in California, this report suggests important changes to the current California Telemedicine Development Act, first passed in 1996.

The report presents 13 recommendations that will help position California's telehealth policy as a more effective, efficient model to address the needs of the state's health care system. The recommendations are part of four key categories:

  • Revisions to the state’s Telemedicine Development Act of 1996 (TDA), focusing primarily on financial incentives and informed consent;
  • Recommendations to incorporate telehealth into state workforce law;
  • Statutory recommendations to promote interoperability of technology and consumer education;
  • Recommendations on increasing research and education efforts in telehealth technologies. 

As a leader in the California telemedicine industry, CTEC, is optimistic about the impact the report could have on the California telehealth industry. “The Model Statute effort is a valuable step toward enacting policy that allows for fully optimized use of telehealth in California,” said Christine Martin, Executive Director of CTEC and member of the model statue workgroup.

“We are pleased that the report includes the overarching policy recommendations made in the 2009 CTEC Stakeholder Initiative for Optimizing Telehealth in California which would allow service and reimbursement for telehealth in all appropriate situations by all payers,” said Martin.

The CCHP report can be found at the following link: http://tinyurl.com/4gpth9g. The CTEC policy brief, Optimizing Telehealth In California: An Agenda for Today and Tomorrow can be found at the following address: http://tinyurl.com/4pux733.

Telemedicine and eHealth expert and CTEC Executive Director, Christine Martin, is available for comment on the new report. Interested media should contact Martin directly at 916-552-7679 or via email at [email protected].

ABOUT CTEC:
CTEC is the Western Regional Telehealth Resource Center providing California with a comprehensive portal for telehealth information, resources and policy. CTEC assists rural and underserved areas to improve health care access through the implementation of telehealth services, and educate and inform health organizations, policy makers, providers, and patients on the benefits of telehealth. CTEC works with the California Telehealth Network to expand healthcare access to rural and underserved populations in California.

RELATED LINKS:
CCHP Report
CCHP Website
CTEC Policy Brief
CTEC Website



CONTACT:

CTEC
Christine Martin, 916-552-7679
[email protected]
Megan Shull, 916-552-7679
[email protected]

KEYWORDS:   United States  North America  California

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:   Technology  Data Management  Software  Practice Management  Health  Public Policy/Government  State/Local  Managed Care

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