Healthcare Technology Featured Article

March 11, 2011

Healthcare Technology and News: California Lawmakers Review Telehealth Report


Advancing California's Leadership in Telehealth Policy: A Telehealth Model Statute & Other Policy Recommendations , a report by the Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP), was recently reviewed by California lawmaker. This report identifies policies that will promote greater use of telehealth technologies, to maximize their benefit to all Californians.

CCHP has released a telehealth model statute for California that recommends modernizing state telemedicine and workforce laws, to encourage more robust adoption of telehealth technologies.

Telehealth uses variety of technology to improve access to care and health outcomes when patients are hundreds or even thousands of miles away from healthcare providers and this report suggests important changes to the current California Telemedicine Development Act, first passed in 1996.

CTEC is optimistic about the impact the report could have on the California telehealth industry. “The Model Statute effort is a valuable step toward enacting policy that allows for fully optimized use of telehealth in California,” said Christine Martin, executive director of CTEC and member of the model statue workgroup.

Martin said that they are pleased that the report includes the overarching policy recommendations made in the 2009 CTEC Stakeholder Initiative for Optimizing Telehealth in California, which would allow service and reimbursement for telehealth in all appropriate situations by all payers.

CTEC is the Western Regional Telehealth Resource Center providing California with a comprehensive portal for telehealth information, resources and policy.

It assists rural and underserved areas to improve healthcare access through the implementation of telehealth services, and educate and inform health organizations, policy makers, providers, and patients on the benefits of telehealth. CTEC works with the California Telehealth Network to expand healthcare access to rural and underserved populations in California.


Jyothi Shanbhag is a contributing editor for HealthTechZone. To read more of Jyothi's articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Tammy Wolf
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