During the COVID-19 pandemic, many states relaxed their rules, regulations, and guidelines regarding the practice of medicine to allow greater access to healthcare services. This allowed physicians to see patients for telehealth visits in states and jurisdictions in which they may not have held a medical license. As the pandemic eases and states are rescinding their state of emergency declarations, stricter regulations are being reimposed. As of August 1, 2021, the physician is now required to be licensed in the state where the patient is physically located during the time of the telehealth visit to provide care.
Arthritis & Rheumatism Associates staff has already begun to communicate to patients with scheduled telehealth appointments to inform them of the new guidelines and instruct them that in order to keep the telehealth appointment they will need to acknowledge that they will be in a state or jurisdiction where the physician is licensed. If the patient already knows that they will not be, then the appointment can be rescheduled to an in-office appointment.
Patients must be seen in person every 12 months. If your last in-person visit has been more than 12-months our practice will not be able to schedule a virtual appointment but will gladly schedule an in-person appointment.
Call us at (301) 942-7600 or log in to the patient portal to find out where your physician is licensed.
To register for our portal, please CLICK HERE.
For more information on the current status for each state, please refer to the Federation of State Medical Boards.