Telemedicine News
Louisiana Legislature Passes Telemedicine Bills
(Source: Federal Telemedicine News, July 15, 2008)
The Louisiana legislature recently passed a mental healthcare reform package that included two bills on telemedicine. The first, HB 653, will help all mental health professionals' complete actual exams to assess patient's needs. The law allows for the use of telemedicine through video and audio technology to enable psychiatrists in different locations to issue emergency certificates that may be needed to commit individuals in crisis.
The second bill concerning telemedicine is HB 193. The legislation ensures that physicians and other mental healthcare professionals who are providing telemedicine services on a voluntary basis for the Department of Health and Hospitals (DHHS) will now have medical malpractice liability coverage. The bill eliminates a major barrier in current law that would discourage physicians from volunteering to provide telemedicine services to patients throughout the state.
The Governor's budget also supports the second year of the Louisiana Rural Health Information Exchange, a partnership between the Rural Hospital Coalition and LSU Health Sciences Center. The HIE uses telemedicine and electronic health records to connect rural hospitals with the resources at the LSU Health Sciences Center to host the network. This accounts for $13.5 million of the $18 million in funding.