Page 19 - Telemedicine - Essentials of Virtual Care Delivery Part Two

SVMIC Telemedicine: Essentials of Virtual Care Delivery

patient has requested a telemedicine visit by way of the

vendor’s service. The provider is unknown to the patient,
and the provider’s only exposure to that patient is through

telemedicine. Usually there are no prior medical records.

• Physician to an established patient – There is a prior
relationship with a medical record, and the telemedicine
modality is often chosen to improve the accessibility of

services to that patient.

• Telemedicine consultation – Physician to physician
(usually a specialist) such as a stroke neurologist,

radiologist, etc. who is unable to physically attend to the
patient but can consult via telemedicine.

State Board Telemedicine Rules and Policies

Many state boards are currently reevaluating telemedicine rules
and policies that were adopted prior to the pandemic. Many, but

not all, were suspended during the pandemic. Typically, these
include the requirement for consent to a telemedicine visit,

maintaining medical records, reasonable privacy considerations,
and the establishment of a physician-patient relationship.

Some states have additional rules or policies for a specific
situation. For example, in Tennessee, there is a rule requiring

a minor patient to have a facilitator present for certain parts of
telemedicine visits. The Tennessee telemedicine rule defines the

term “facilitator” and it includes the parent or legal guardian of
the minor patient:

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