telehealth

Online companies are connecting patients and doctors, and sharing fees with the physicians, which could run afoul of a law prohibiting patient brokering. The activities are drawing the ire of doctors following the rules.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed 42 bills, including a heavily debated measure that will change staffing standards in nursing homes. The nursing-home industry lobbied for the measure.

Among the other measures awaiting the governor's pen was a proposal that would broaden doctors’ ability to prescribe controlled substances through telemedicine.

The bill, approved by the Senate after changes by the House, would ease restrictions on doctors prescribing controlled substances through telehealth.

The bill in part would permit physicians to use telemedicine when issuing a renewal of certain drugs that are classified as controlled substances, including ketamine, anabolic steroids and codeine.

The bill would allow physicians to remotely prescribe drugs such as stimulants, sedatives, and anabolic steroids.

New, often lower-cost plans capitalize on the convenience of telemedicine and patients’ growing familiarity with it. But consumers should weigh costs and care options before enrolling in a “virtual-first” plan.

Gov. Ron DeSantis let an executive order declaring a public health emergency expire Saturday, and with it many regulatory flexibilities providers received during the pandemic including those related to telehealth.

Pressure is mounting on Congress and the Biden administration to make permanent pandemic-inspired rules that fueled telehealth growth.

According to Cathy Bedy, a licensed clinical social worker at a CVS in Seminole, telehealth can provide services within 24 hours of the request. It's valuable time saved when people are reaching out for help.

A proposal to keep many of the state’s pandemic-era telehealth practices in place is moving forward, but some say a few important provisions aren't including in the legislation.

Members of the Florida Board of Medicine are grappling with whether the technology can be used by physicians for purposes other than treating patients. For example, supervising electrologists.