For Immediate Release
Little Rock, AR – Annette Guarisco Fildes, President and CEO of The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC), today testified before the Arkansas House Committee on Public Health, Welfare, and Labor in support of House Bill 1220, legislation to expand access to telemedicine.
ERIC has advocated for barrier-free telemedicine legislation since 2015, engaging with state legislators and medical boards across the country, including in Arkansas. Currently, to use telemedicine in Arkansas, a patient must first be seen by a provider via video along with a review of his or her medical record by that provider. H.B. 1220 would allow a patient located in the state to have a telemedicine visit with a physician who is licensed in Arkansas through either audio along with a review of the patient’s medical history or video along with a review of the patient’s medical history.
In her testimony, Guarisco Fildes said, “We recognize the significant opportunity provided by telemedicine to modernize health care delivery and improve access to quality medical care. This bill will provide those patients and many others access to health providers when and how they need it, changing their lives for the better.”
ERIC previously submitted comments on proposed telemedicine regulations to the Arkansas State Medical Board Telemedicine Advisory Committee in 2015 and 2016.
Click here to read today’s testimony.