The Rhode Island House of Representatives has passed legislation introduced by Representative Brian Patrick Kennedy to create the Telemedicine Coverage Act. The bill (2016-H 7160A) would require health insurance policies to include provisions for the reimbursement of telemedicine services the same as if the services are provided through in-person consultations or contact.
The bill now heads to the Senate where similar legislation (2016-S 2577) was introduced by State Senator Gayle L. Goldin.
In other State legislative news, Representative David A. Coughlin Jr. introduced (2016-H 7866) a bill to update the Rhode Island Health Information Exchange that has now passed the House. The legislation supports healthcare reform efforts while still protecting the confidential healthcare information contained within the State’s HIE known as CurrentCare.
The proposed legislation amends the Rhode Island HIE Act of 2008, by allowing patients to authorize individuals, such as family members or care givers to have access to their CurrentCare information. The proposed legislation also recognizes that team-based care is important and allows health plans to receive information from CurrentCare for care coordination and management.
For more information, call the State House in Providence RI at 401-222-2457.