North Dakota Bill Would Set New Terms for Telemedicine

A bill in the North Dakota Senate would require patients to do a video or in-person examination for their initial visit with a telemedicine provider. In 2017, the North Dakota Board of Medicine drafted a rule that would require a video exam or face-to-face visit for the patient's first telemedicine appointment. But the rule was shot down by the state legislature's Administrative Rules Committee in March. Committee members stated that the rule was "arbitrary and capricious," according to meeting minutes. The rule also received strong pushback from some health care organizations, including Teladoc, whose representatives told lawmakers that the requirement would disenfranchise people without access to broadband or technology.