September 30, 2014, Introduced by Senators WARREN and BIEDA and referred to the Committee on Insurance.
A bill to amend 1956 PA 218, entitled
"The insurance code of 1956,"
by amending section 3476 (MCL 500.3476), as added by 2012 PA 215.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Sec. 3476. (1) An expense-incurred hospital, medical, or
surgical group or individual policy or certificate delivered,
issued for delivery, or renewed in this state and a health
maintenance
organization group or individual contract shall must
not require face-to-face contact between a health care professional
and a patient for services appropriately provided through
telemedicine, as determined by the insurer or health maintenance
organization.
Telemedicine services shall must
be provided by a
health care professional who is licensed, registered, or otherwise
authorized to engage in his or her health care profession in the
state where the patient is located. Telemedicine services are
subject to all terms and conditions of the policy, certificate, or
contract agreed upon between the policy, certificate, or contract
holder and the insurer or health maintenance organization,
including, but not limited to, required copayments, coinsurances,
deductibles, and approved amounts.
(2)
As used in this section: , "telemedicine"
(a) "Asynchronous store and forward action" means the
transmission of a patient's medical information from an originating
site to a health care professional at a distant site for review of
the information by the professional at the distant site without a
synchronous interaction.
(b) "Distant site" means the location of the health care
professional when providing telemedicine services to the patient.
(c) "Originating site" means either of the following, as
applicable:
(i) The location of the patient when receiving telemedicine
services from the health care professional.
(ii) The location where the asynchronous store and forward
action originates.
(d) "Synchronous interaction" means a real-time interaction
between a patient receiving telemedicine services at an originating
site and a health care professional delivering telemedicine
services from a distant site.
(e)
"Telemedicine" means the use
of an electronic media to
link
patients with health care professionals in different
locations.
To be considered telemedicine under this section, the
health
care professional must be able to examine the patient via a
real-time,
interactive audio or video, or both, telecommunications
system
and the patient must be able to interact with the off-site
health
care professional at the time the services are provided.
interactive audio, video, or other telecommunications technology by
a health care professional to deliver health care services between
a distant site and an originating site for diagnosis and treatment
of a patient.
(f) "Telemedicine services" means a health care service
provided through telemedicine, including a service provided through
a synchronous interaction or asynchronous store and forward action.
(3) This section applies to a policy, certificate, or contract
issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2013.