2019 Arkansas Code
Title 23 - Public Utilities and Regulated Industries
Subtitle 3 - Insurance
Chapter 79 - Insurance Policies Generally
Subchapter 16 - Coverage for Services Provided Through Telemedicine
§ 23-79-1601. Definitions.
- As used in this subchapter:
(1) “Distant site” means the location of the healthcare professional delivering healthcare services through telemedicine at the time the services are provided;
(2)
(A) “Health benefit plan” means:
(i) An individual, blanket, or group plan, policy, or contract for healthcare services issued or delivered by an insurer, health maintenance organization, hospital medical service corporation, or self-insured governmental or church plan in this state; and
(ii) Any health benefit program receiving state or federal appropriations from the State of Arkansas, including the Arkansas Medicaid Program and the Health Care Independence Program, commonly referred to as the “Private Option”, or any successor program.
(B) “Health benefit plan” includes:
(i) Indemnity and managed care plans; and
(ii) Nonfederal governmental plans as defined in 29 U.S.C. § 1002(32), as it existed on January 1, 2015.
(C) “Health benefit plan” does not include:
(i) Disability income plans;
(ii) Credit insurance plans;
(iii) Insurance coverage issued as a supplement to liability insurance;
(iv) Medical payments under automobile or homeowners insurance plans;
(v) Health benefit plans provided under Arkansas Constitution, Article 5, § 32, the Workers' Compensation Law, § 11-9-101 et seq., or the Public Employee Workers' Compensation Act, § 21-5-601 et seq.;
(vi) Plans that provide only indemnity for hospital confinement;
(vii) Accident only plans;
(viii) Specified disease plans; or
(ix) Long-term care only plans;
(3) “Healthcare professional” means a person who is licensed, certified, or otherwise authorized by the laws of this state to administer health care in the ordinary course of the practice of his or her profession;
(4) “Originating site” means:
(A) The offices of a healthcare professional or a licensed healthcare entity where the patient is located at the time services are provided by a healthcare professional through telemedicine; and
(B) The home of a patient in connection with treatment for end-stage renal disease; and
(5) “Telemedicine” means the medium of delivering clinical healthcare services by means of real-time two-way electronic audio-visual communications, including without limitation the application of secure video conferencing, to provide or support healthcare delivery that facilitates the assessment, diagnosis, consultation, or treatment of a patient's health care while the patient is at an originating site and the healthcare professional is at a distant site.
