For Immediate Release
Washington, DC – The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) today urged the State of Idaho Board of Medicine to avoid artificial barriers to telehealth access as they consider new rules following adoption of the Idaho Telehealth Access Act.
In a letter, ERIC –the only national trade association advocating solely for the employee benefit and compensation interests of America’s largest employers –urged the Board to adopt regulations that allow for patients and doctors to connect via telehealth, without unnecessary barriers that would limit access to health care. ERIC believes there is an opportunity for the Board to enhance access to telehealth technologies by endorsing community standards of care that are inclusive of the unique benefits of telehealth and allow for its increased use to deliver high-quality health care.
ERIC also encouraged the Board to allow for flexibility of referrals to other doctors located in Idaho, regardless of where a telehealth provider is located, when interpreting language that requires a telehealth provider to provide a patient with information for follow-up care.
“For telehealth to be accessible by all Idahoans there cannot be unnecessary limitations on how they connect with a health care provider” said Annette Guarisco Fildes, president and CEO, ERIC. “By adopting standards of care that remove those artificial barriers, more employees, retirees, and their families will have access to the care they need, when and how they need it.”
To read The ERISA Industry Committee’s letter to the State of Idaho Board of Medicine in its entirety, please click here.