telemedicine

Under current law, patients are required to receive in-person physical exams from physicians to get certified and be evaluated in person at least once every 30 weeks for recertification.

Entrepreneurs see smartphones as an opportunity to meet patients where they are. But many app-based diagnostic tools still need clinical validation to get buy-in from health care providers.

Some rural residents must travel hours for a sexual assault exam. Specialized telehealth services are expanding so they can obtain care closer to home.

A college administrator says many students seeking mental health care prefer the privacy of teletherapy over an in-person appointment — even when they call in from an on-campus location.

Hospitals are warning doctors not to practice medicine in a state where they don’t have a license. That affects cancer patients and others who have grown to depend on video visits and other remote care.

Prescribing medical abortions across state lines is now risky for doctors. "We're talking about something that's a protected right in one state and a felony in a sister state," says one legal scholar.

Online companies are connecting patients and doctors, and sharing fees with the physicians, which could run afoul of a law prohibiting patient brokering. The activities are drawing the ire of doctors following the rules.

Recent rule changes made it easier for patients to get abortion pills through the mail, using telehealth services. Now there is growing demand for these services – and new legal battles brewing.

Among the other measures awaiting the governor's pen was a proposal that would broaden doctors’ ability to prescribe controlled substances through telemedicine.

Experts are concerned that flashy Silicon Valley technology won’t reach those most in need of treatment for substance use disorders.