Gov. Greg Abbot recently signed a bill expanding access to telehealth services, and another to expedite the spread of broadband internet access across the state of Texas.
More specifically, the telehealth bill provides an opening for Medicaid and public health plans to use remote health services for preventative health and wellness screenings, case management, therapy, counseling, assessments and other services, as reported by mHealthIntelligence. The broadband bill expands the state's broadband development office and tasks it with monitoring the expansion of broadband access to more communities and identifying possible obstacles, whereas before it was limited to research.
"I am proud to have signed laws that increase high speed internet access and expand telehealth services throughout Texas," Gov. Abbott said in a recent Tweet recognizing the signing.
Telehealth, including remote patient monitoring services (RPM), is in great demand, especially in rural areas of Texas. Telehealth includes real-time communication between a patient and their healthcare provider by means of telephone, smartphone, tablet or computer, as well as "asynchronous" communication by email, according to guidance for healthcare providers on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website. It also includes RPM, which either involves the patient using a medical device in their home, for example a blood pressure cuff, and informing their physician of the results, or the use of digital devices which directly transmit health data from patient to physician.
In a time when close proximity has become dangerous due to the contagious nature of COVID-19, telehealth and other remote health services are more important than ever. With Gov. Abbott's signature, Texas will become one of more than 20 states that have permanently expanded telehealth coverage and access beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some of the benefits of telehealth identified by the CDC are: screening and referral of patients with COVID-19 symptoms; low-risk urgent care and referral for non-COVID-19 conditions; access to primary care and specialists for chronic physical and behavioral health conditions including medication management; monitoring of clinical signs of chronic health conditions such as blood pressure and blood glucose; and case management for patients with reduced access to care, such as the elderly, persons with disabilities and people residing in remote, rural areas.
State Rep. Four Price (R-Amarillo) a sponsor of both bills passed June 15, praised the telehealth bill, telling KCBD News, “Whether you’re a rural health clinic, FQHC, a private provider, Medicaid, we really extended the benefits of telehealth and telemedicine through this bill and through bills we’ve previously passed."