Medical Board Issues Telemedicine Guidance

The State Medical Board of Ohio has received numerous inquiries in recent months concerning the requirement to "personally physically examine and diagnose a patient" prior to prescribing, as set forth in Ohio Administrative Code Rule 4731-11-09.

The inquiries raise questions regarding the ability to use the internet or other forms of telecommunication to complete the physical examination of a patient that is the basis for a diagnosis and follow through on a plan of treatment for the individual patient.

The Medical Board recently issued an interpretive guideline clarifying an existing rule that some thought might limit a physician’s ability to fully utilize telemedicine devices. Click here to read the Medical Board’s interpretive guideline.

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