Texas Register

TITLE 22 EXAMINING BOARDS
PART 9TEXAS MEDICAL BOARD
CHAPTER 174TELEMEDICINE
RULE §174.5Notice to Patients [of Privacy Practices]
ISSUE 04/30/2010
ACTION Proposed
Preamble Texas Admin Code Rule

(a)Privacy Practices.

  (1) [(a)] Physicians that communicate with patients by electronic communications [e-mail or other electronic means] other than telephone or facsimile must provide patients with written notification of the physicians' privacy practices prior to evaluation or treatment. In addition, a good faith effort must be made to obtain the patient's written acknowledgement, including by e-mail, of the notice. [make a good faith effort to notify patients in writing of the physicians' privacy practices. ]

  (2) [(b)] The notice of privacy practices shall include language that is consistent with federal standards under 45 CFR Parts 160 and 164 relating to privacy of individually identifiable health information.

(b)Limitations of Telemedicine. Physicians who use telemedicine medical services must, prior to providing services, give their patients notice regarding telemedicine medical services, including the risks and benefits of being treated via telemedicine, how to receive follow-up care or assistance in the event of an adverse reaction to the treatment or in the event of an inability to communicate as a result of a technological or equipment failure. A signed and dated notice, including an electronic acknowledgement, by the patient establishes a presumption of notice.

(c)Necessity of In-Person Evaluation. When, for whatever reason, the telemedicine modality in use for a particular patient encounter is unable to provide all pertinent clinical information that a health care provider exercising ordinary skill and care would deem reasonably necessary for the practice of medicine at an acceptable level of safety and quality in the context of that particular medical encounter, then the distant site provider must make this known to the patient prior to the conclusion of the live telemedicine encounter and advise and counsel the patient prior to the conclusion of the live telemedicine encounter regarding the need for the patient to obtain an additional in-person medical evaluation reasonably able to meet the patient's needs.

(d)Complaints to the Board. Physicians that use telemedicine medical services must provide notice of how patients may file a complaint with the Board on the physician's website or with informed consent materials provided to patients prior to rendering telemedicine medical services. Written content and method of the notice must be consistent with §178.3 of this title (relating to Complaint Procedure Notification).

This agency hereby certifies that the proposal has been reviewed by legal counsel and found to be within the agency's legal authority to adopt.

Filed with the Office of the Secretary of State on April 19, 2010

TRD-201001895

Mari Robinson, J.D.

Executive Director

Texas Medical Board

Earliest possible date of adoption: May 30, 2010

For further information, please call: (512) 305-7016



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