HEALTHCARE BILLS: OKLAHOMA SENATE BILL 674-TELEMEDICINE
Healthcare Bills
Oklahoma Senate Bill 674-Telemedicine
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 personto-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...
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...
…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).
Public and Private Interests
Access to telehealth services in healthcare reduces the risk of infectious diseases during pandemics. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020), telehealth services minimize the demand for healthcare facilities by patients and thus reduces the strain to healthcare systems. In addition, telehealth services improve the overall health outcomes of the population by minimizing delays, missed appointments, and promoting continuity of care (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). Further, individuals with limited access to healthcare services owing to their psychological conditions, physical, and socioeconomic status are able to access telehealth services. Telehealth services also improve utilization of resources in healthcare system while…
