Idaho Governor Makes COVID-19 Telehealth Expansion Permanent

Healthcare providers in Idaho now have permanent access to a wide range of telehealth and mHealth tools to improve access to care and outcomes.

Idaho Governor Brad Little this week signed an executive order making permanent more than 150 emergency rules enacted since March to address the coronavirus pandemic. Several of those rules focus on expanding connected health platforms to improve access to care.

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State agencies are now tasked with finalizing those rule changes for presentation to the state Legislature next January.

“Our loosening of healthcare rules since March helped to increase the use of telehealth services, made licensing easier, and strengthened the capacity of our healthcare workforce – all necessary to help our citizens during the global pandemic,” Little said in a press release, noting that the state had gone from 3,000 telehealth sessions in March-through May in 2019 to 117,000 session during the same three-month span this year. “We proved we could do it without compromising safety. Now it’s time to make those healthcare advances permanent moving forward.”

“By suspending certain rules during the pandemic – such as allowing the use of Zoom, Facetime and other applications and making it easier for providers to offer telehealth services – we’ve been able to address the critical shortage of medical providers in every county in the state,” he added. “This serves to make healthcare more accessible and affordable for Idaho families and businesses.” 

Among the emergency rules enacted during the height of the COVID-19 crisis were directives to give providers more freedom to use online platforms to connect with patients, allowing out-of-state providers with valid licenses to treat Idaho residents through telehealth, and giving physician assistants more responsibilities for care management.

Dozens of states expanded telehealth freedoms during the pandemic, and now some are considering making them permanent. Some private payers are also indefinitely extending telehealth coverage, and Congress is under pressure to take similar action.