WV Lawmakers Move to OK Telehealth Expansion, Audio-Only Phone Calls

West Virginia lawmakers are nearing approval of a bill that would allow healthcare providers from other states to use telehealth to treat residents in the state.

The State Senate this week unanimously approved an amended version of HB 2024, which allows the state to recognize providers from other states as long as they’re licensed in good standing with their home state, are not under investigation or subject to an administrative complaint, and they don’t have a physical location in West Virginia. They must also register as an interstate telehealth practitioner with the appropriate state board and pay a registration fee that doesn’t exceed the cost of a license.

The Senate bill also redefines telehealth to include audio-only phone services but eliminates internet questionnaires, a common element of asynchronous (store-and-forward) telehealth platforms. The House must now vote on that amended bill in order to send it to the governor.

The bill addresses one of the principal barriers to connected health adoption, and one that’s being debated and addressed in state and federal policy circles. With states maintaining their own licensing rules, providers are forced to go through a complex and expensive process to apply for licenses to practice in each state. This presents a significant burden for health systems serving patients in multiple states, as well as for providers and specialists who want to use telehealth to grow their business.

The coronavirus pandemic has helped to shine a spotlight on the issue. Almost all states have issued emergency actions, good for the duration of the public health emergency, that ease licensing barriers and allow some portability for providers using telehealth. In addition, the Emergency Management Assistant Compact (EMAC) has been amended to allow for interstate care.

West Virginia is among a handful of states looking at license portability as a means of expanding telehealth access beyond the COVID-19 emergency. Others have been focused on interstate licensing compacts, which provide an expedited means of applying for and receiving medical licenses in each state.

And while the state’s House of Representatives had earlier passed its version of the bill by a 98-0 vote, with two members not voting, the amended bill could spark some debate over the inclusion of audio-only phone calls. While telehealth advocates feel this will help improve access to care for residents who don’t have adequate broadband resources for video calls, others say the phone isn’t an appropriate platform for healthcare.