This analysis examines Oklahoma Senate Bill 674, landmark legislation expanding telemedicine access in response to COVID-19 pandemic challenges. The study evaluates the bill's provisions for equal reimbursement, insurance coverage requirements, and prescription authorization through telehealth visits. The research demonstrates how emergency healthcare needs accelerated permanent policy changes, establishing telemedicine as a viable alternative to in-person medical consultations while addressing regulatory barriers to implementation.
To start with, it would be prudent to note that many industries have had to adapt their way of functioning owing to the new realities triggered by COVID-19 pandemic. Amongst other things, the Covid-19 pandemic led to government mandates including the imposition of lockdowns and limitation of face-to-face interactions to avoid the spread of the virus. Industries that offer face-to face services, including healthcare, have been impacted by the spread of the said pandemic (Lee and Lee, 2021). For this reason, the said industries have been forced to adapt new digital functions so as to replace face-to-face interaction. As a result, new and existing digital functions have improved significantly. One of the digital applications that has been adapted in this new era happens to be telehealth/telemedicine (Lee and Lee, 2021).
Many states, organizations, and private clinics have integrated telehealth medicine in their practice as the main focus of providing online services. According to Jasper (2020), telehealth medicine happens to be an innovative method of delivering care through mobile devices and computers so as to reduce person–to-person contact and thus reduce the spread of COVID-19. However, a state like Oklahoma had been using telehealth for a significant period of time before Covid-19 so as to meet the needs of patients who have limited access to healthcare services and facilities owing to their socioeconomic and physiological status. However, the said state had to expand the use of telehealth during the COVID-19 emergency owing to the fact that the need for remote healthcare services had increased. According to Lee and Lee (2020), the said expansion led to re-evaluation of laws and policies by regulatory bodies and officials. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020), the policy and legal resources provided by regulatory bodies for the use of telehealth services is important in healthcare given that they come in handy in the improvement of healthcare outcomes in underserved communities.
The senate bill 674 was presented by representative McEntire and senator McCortney in February 2021. The aim of this bill was to expand access to telehealth by making sure that telehealth visits are medically appropriate, have equal reimbursement by providers, and are valued the same as in-person visits (Fair and Equal Access Services, 2021). In Oklahoma, the said bill helped in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic mandates. Later, the said bill was amended so as to provide permanent telehealth access to persons. After the bill was amended, it prohibited insurers from excluding or denying coverage on the basis that the said coverage is based on internet and not on face-to face interaction. In addition, the bill prohibited any insurer in Oklahoma State from restricting medical prescriptions on the basis that they were ordered after or during telehealth visits. Apart from representative McEntire and McCortney, there were other key stakeholders who presented the senate bill 674. The said stakeholders were inclusive of, but they were not limited to; Budget Subcommittee on Health, chair of House Appropriations, healthcare coverage plans and insurers, Centers of Medicate and Medicare Services, American Telemedicine Association, and American Medical Association. Apart from the said stakeholders, patients who are the recipients of telehealth services, healthcare systems, specialists and primary care providers, physicians, and technology solutions were also part of the stakeholder group that supported the amendment of the senate bill 674 (Measure Providing Telehealth Signed into Law, 2021).
There are various potential benefits of telehealth services in healthcare. For instance, expansion of telehealth services helps in provision of individualized care that is cost-effective. In addition, the said expansion allows healthcare providers to prioritize care so as to provide the best care to patients. In Oklahoma, expansion of telehealth services happens to be a necessity owing to shortage of healthcare providers which leads to increased challenges to patients who reside in rural areas. Therefore, it would be prudent to note that expansion of telehealth services in Oklahoma State would ease access of routine and specialized care while reducing healthcare costs that result from regular visits to healthcare centers. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020), telehealth services are important in public health owing to the fact that they have the potential of saving billions in healthcare expenditures. In addition, telehealth services influences the relationship between healthcare providers and patients. Further, telehealth services increase the prevalence of standardized care that is recognized. Moreover, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020) points out that when telehealth services are included as a public health tool, they lead to increased access to healthcare services and thus help in reaching out to underserved populations. Apart from providing medical options to healthcare providers and patients, it would be prudent to note that telehealth visits would lead to improved healthcare and social outcomes for Oklahomans (Measure Providing Telehealth Parity Signed into Law, 2021). Essentially, access to telehealth services contributes to frequent follow-ups which helps in managing chronic and acute conditions. In addition, telehealth visits improves communication between healthcare providers and patients, thus increasing the patient’s compliance to preventative strategies, screening recommendations, and adherence to treatment.
With regard to healthcare providers, access to telehealth services in public health would help healthcare providers have various healthcare options when providing care to patients. Essentially, expansion of telehealth services helps healthcare providers to be discrete when making decisions based on the most appropriate level of care for patients. This is more so the case given that provision of telehealth services reduces the wait time owing to the number of appointments in face-to-face interactions. In addition, expansion of telehealth services allows prioritization of holistic and more coordinated care. Further, expansion of telehealth services will help ensure that healthcare providers are able to avoid denials or delayed approvals in provision of teleheath services in care (Fair and Equal Access to Telehealth Services, 2021). This is more so the case given that telehealth measures require stringent claims review process which result in denials or delayed approvals. It is also important to note that most healthcare providers do not receive reimbursements for the services they provide through telehealth. Therefore, expansion of telehealth services in healthcare will help ensure that healthcare providers receive equal reimbursements for their services (Fair and Equal Access to Telehealth Services, 2021).
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