On September 15, Representative Mark Fraizer (R-Newark, OH) appeared before the Senate Health Committee to provide sponsor testimony on House Bill (HB) 122, regarding the provision of telehealth services in Ohio. HB 122 passed the Ohio House of Representatives on April 21, 2021, and is currently being heard by the Senate Health Committee.
According to the testimony, the focus of this bill is to define the practitioners, services, communication types, and reimbursement standards associated with telehealth. This legislation also enables flexibility for services to be rendered across state lines (as other states are able to perform in Ohio), in-person meeting stipulations, and provides guidance for pandemic circumstances.
In addition, the bill specifies that during any declared disaster, epidemic, pandemic, public health emergency, or public safety emergency, every long-term care facility must provide each resident and their family with a video-conference visitation option, if the Governor, the Director of Health, another governmental official or entity, or the long-term care facility itself determines that allowing in-person visits at the facility would create a risk to the health of the facility’s residents.
Sponsor testimony went on to state, “While not everyone is open to receiving medical services over the phone or internet, the services already exist, and must be appropriately regulated. Each medical licensing board in Ohio has already set their own rules regarding what services are allowed to be performed in their respective fields. The state of Ohio needs consistency to ensure those wanting to take advantage of telemedicine have the opportunity to do so, with as much ease as possible.”
Rep. Fraizer concluded his testimony stating, “We value the patient and physician relationship and offer the greatest protection to a patient’s information, patient’s cost, and provide the greatest possible permissions for practitioners to act in their patients best interests within their standard of care.”