Telemedicine prohibitions and legal rules governing online patient consults

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With advent of Google health and online personalized, health care recommendations, telemedicine legal issues frequently arise.

Telemedicine laws vary by state, and frequently take some digging to discover.

For example, this little legal rule is buried inside a disciplinary provision of one of the Administrative Rules of the Georgia Composite Medical Board:

(6) Providing treatment via electronic or other means unless a history and physical examination of the patient has been performed by a Georgia licensee. This shall not prohibit a licensee who is on call or covering for another licensee from treating and/or consulting a patient of such other licensee. Also, this paragraph shall not prohibit a patient’s  attending physician from obtaining consultations or recommendations from other licensed health care providers.

The do's and don't are fairly clear here, but the point is that it takes some legal research to ascertain what rules apply, and that one must look to the state where the patient is situated as well as the state of the health care practitioner.

Our attorneys regularly consult and advice on telemedicine and other health care law and business legal matters involving online enterprises.  For legal advice concerning telemedicine and other health care practices, whether involving physicians, nurses, psychologists, or CAM providers such as acupuncturists, or even life coaches, fitness consultants, nutritional advisors, and others, contact our health care lawyers today.

Our law firm has many successes with health care and business law clients, whose practices are transforming the business and health care landscape as we know it.

Michael H. Cohen is an attorney providing business legal advice to green entrepreneurs and companies, and health care law advice to businesses and physicians, acupuncturists, naturopaths, homeopaths and others in the holistic health, wellness, and green industries. As a founding attorney of the Global Vision Law Group, he represents businesses poised for vertical lift, whose leaders are conscious, intuitive, and committed to shaping a better world. Michael also advises medical spas and integrative medicine clinics, physicians, chiropractors, naturopathic physicians, massage therapists, energy healers, nutritionists and herbalists, dietary supplement and cosmetics companies, and businesses with bio-energy and other technologies and medical devices. Michael offers the Entrepreneur’s Legal Toolkit as a series of legal guides to businesses. The first legal e-book deals with Contract Essentials, giving legal tips every business needs to negotiate its legal agreements; the second addresses legal issues faced by multi-level marketing companies and individuals involved in multilevel marketing and direct sales; and the third one so far is a HIPAA Regulations and Privacy Manual at far less the cost than it would take for an attorney to prepare.

Michael also sponsors Being Central, a Portal for Potential, which gives access to other, pre-paid legal services. 

Read reviews of Michael’s work on the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Law Blog. And visit the Flat Rate Legal Services page for information on legal services offered at a flat rate or project fee (such as incorporation for entrepreneurs, review and drafting of business contracts, trademark, and health law services for CAM providers and others).

Michael’s clientele  through the Global Vision Law Group includes businesses not only in California, New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, Washington, D.C., and other U.S. states, but also abroad. To speak with a lawyer about health care law issues pertaining to complementary and alternative medicine, or to consult a business lawyer about laws and legal issues for entrepreneurs and new enterprises that are seeking legal advice, contact the Global Vision Law Group today. 

 
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