The e-Health Advisory Committee (committee) is established under Texas Government Code §531.012 and is subject to §351.801 of this division (relating to Authority and General Provisions).
The committee advises the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Executive Commissioner and Health and Human Services system agencies (HHS agencies) on strategic planning, policy, rules, and services related to the use of health information technology, health information exchange systems, telemedicine, telehealth, and home telemonitoring services.
The committee is abolished and this section expires on December 31, 2025.
SOURCE: TX Admin. Code, Title 1, Sec. 351.823. (Accessed Aug. 2024).
Direct observation of a patient by a health professional or direct care or services provided to a patient by a health professional includes the provision of that observation, care, or service using telehealth services.
The commission may adopt rules as necessary to:
- Ensure that patients receiving telehealth services receive appropriate, quality care;
- Prevent abuse and fraud in the use of telehealth services, including rules relating to the filing of claims and records required to be maintained in connection with telehealth services;
- Implement the requirements of Chapter 111 or other laws of this state regarding the provision of telehealth services or the protection of patients receiving telehealth services;
- Provide for the remote supervision of assistants and other authorized persons performing duties within their existing scope of practice using telecommunications or information technology; and
- Provide for the remote supervision of experience for apprentices, interns, or other similar trainees using telecommunications or information technology.
Rules under this section may allow for the provision of:
- Remote education or distance learning for public or private schools; and
- Continuing education using telecommunications or information technology.
SOURCE: TX Occupations Code Title 2, Ch. 51, Subchapter J, Sec. 51.501, (Accessed Aug. 2024).
Licensed Dyslexia Practitioners and Licensed Dyslexia Therapists
A licensed dyslexia practitioner may practice only in, or provide telehealth services from a remote location only to, an educational setting, including a school, learning center, or clinic.
A licensed dyslexia therapist may practice in, or provide telehealth services from a remote location to, a school, learning center, clinic, or private practice setting.
A license holder may provide telehealth services only in a practice setting described by this section, regardless of the physical location of the license holder or the recipient of the telehealth services.
SOURCE: TX Occupations Code 403.151, (Accessed Aug. 2024).
Occupational Therapists
The occupational therapist is responsible for determining whether any aspect of the evaluation may be conducted via telehealth or must be conducted in person.
The occupational therapist must have contact with the client during the evaluation. The contact must be synchronous audio and synchronous visual contact that is in person, via telehealth, or via a combination of in-person contact and telehealth. Other telecommunications or information technology may be used to aid in the evaluation but may not be the primary means of contact or communication.
SOURCE: TX Admin. Code, Title 40 Sec. 372.1. (Accessed Aug. 2024).
Hospital Level of Care Designation for Maternal Care
See rule for program requirements around telemedicine for hospital level of care designation for maternal care.
SOURCE: TX Admin. Code, Title 25, Part 1, Sec. 133.205. (Accessed Aug. 2024).
Inmate Welfare
The department, in conjunction with The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, shall establish procedures to increase opportunities and expand access to telemedicine medical services and telehealth services, as those terms are defined by Section 111.001, Occupations Code, and on-site medical care for inmates, including on-site mobile care units that provide diagnostic imaging, physical therapy, and other appropriate mobile health services.
SOURCE: TX Government Code 501.071 (Accessed Aug. 2024).
The commission, with the assistance of the center, shall establish a pilot project to provide emergency medical services instruction and emergency prehospital care instruction through a telemedicine medical service or telehealth service provided by regional trauma resource centers to:
- health care providers in rural area trauma facilities; and
- emergency medical services providers in rural areas.
See statute for details.
SOURCE: Health and Safety Code 771.152, (Accessed Aug. 2024).
The Texas Medical Board, in consultation with the commissioner of insurance, as appropriate, may adopt rules necessary to:
- Ensure that patients using telemedicine medical services receive appropriate, quality care;
- Prevent abuse and fraud in the use of telemedicine medical services, including rules relating to the filing of claims and records required to be maintained in connection with telemedicine medical services;
- Ensure adequate supervision of health professionals who are not physicians and who provide telemedicine medical services; and
- Establish the maximum number of health professionals who are not physicians that a physician may supervise through a telemedicine medical service.
The State Board of Dental Examiners, in consultation with the commissioner of insurance, as appropriate, may adopt rules necessary to:
- Ensure that patients using teledentistry dental services receive appropriate, quality care;
- Prevent abuse and fraud in the use of teledentistry dental services, including rules relating to the filing of claims and records required to be maintained in connection with teledentistry dental services;
- Ensure adequate supervision of health professionals who are not dentists and who provide teledentistry dental services under the delegation and supervision of a dentist; and
- Authorize a dentist to simultaneously delegate to and supervise through a teledentistry dental service not more than five health professionals who are not dentists.
SOURCE: TX Occupational Code Title 3, Subtitle A, Chapter 111, Sec. 111.004. (Accessed Aug. 2024).
Behavioral Analysts
Supervision of a person who performs behavior analysis services, and may include both direct and indirect supervision. A license holder may engage in direct supervision or indirect supervision in-person and on-site, through telehealth, or in another manner approved by the license holder’s certifying entity.
SOURCE: TX Admin Code Title 16, Part 4, Ch. 121, Sec. A, Sec. 121. 10 (Accessed Aug. 2024).
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