State by State Telemedicine Licensure

The Federation of State Medical Boards has produced an overview of telemedicine licensure across the US.  Highlights include:

The Federation of State Medical Boards has produced an overview of telemedicine licensure across the US.  Highlights include:

• Ten (10) state boards issue a special purpose license, telemedicine license or certificate, or license to practice medicine across state lines to allow for the practice of telemedicine.
• Fifty-seven (57) state boards plus the DC Board of Medicine require that physicians engaging in telemedicine are licensed in the state in which the patient is located.
• Minnesota allows physicians to practice telemedicine if they are registered to practice telemedicine or are registered to practice across state lines.
• Fifteen (15) states currently require private insurance companies to cover telemedicine services to the same extent as face-to-face consultations.
• Massachusetts permits coverage for services provided through telemedicine as long as the deductible, copayment or coinsurance doesn’t exceed the deductible, copayment or coinsurance applicable to an in-person consultation. 

I had created a document outlining licensure across the northwest, but it is even better to have something covering the variations across all states.  Licensure that extends across state lines and private insurance coverage are huge issues, especially as we look forward to a new health delivery system, so I’m really happy to see increasing attention by state medical boards.