Arkansas
Occupational Therapy	Physical Therapy
Telehealth/Telemedicine/Telecommunications Definition
“Telemedicine” means the use of electronic information and communication technology to deliver healthcare services, including without limitation the assessment, diagnosis, consultation, treatment, education, care management, and self-management of a patient. “Telemedicine” includes store-and-forward technology and remote patient monitoring. Source:ACA § 17-80-402	“Telecommunication” means the electronic transmission, conveyance, or routing of voice, data, audio, video, or any other information or signals to a point or between or among points. Source:ACA § 17-93-102 “Telemedicine” means the use of electronic information and communication technology to deliver healthcare services, including without limitation the assessment, diagnosis, consultation, treatment, education, care management, and self-management of a patient. “Telemedicine” includes store-and-forward technology and remote patient monitoring. Source:ACA § 17-80-402
Modality
Telemedicine is defined as including store-and-forward and remote patient monitoring. Occupational therapists may also use live audio and video. Source:ACA § 17-80-402 & ACA § 17-80-404 “Remote patient monitoring” means the use of synchronous or 1electronic information and communication technology to collect personal health information and medical data from a patient at an originating site that is transmitted to a healthcare professional at a distant site for use in the treatment and management of medical conditions that require frequent monitoring. “Store-and-forward technology” means the asynchronous transmission of a patient’s medical information from a healthcare professional at an originating site to a healthcare professional at a distant site. Source:ACA § 17-80-402	Telemedicine is defined as including store-and-forward and remote patient monitoring. Physical therapists may also use live audio and video. Source:ACA § 17-80-402 & ACA § 17-80-404 “Remote patient monitoring” means the use of synchronous or asynchronous electronic information and communication technology to collect personal health information and medical data from a patient at an originating site that is transmitted to a healthcare professional at a distant site for use in the treatment and management of medical conditions that require frequent monitoring. “Store-and-forward technology” means the asynchronous transmission of a patient’s medical information from a healthcare professional at an originating site to a healthcare professional at a distant site. Source:ACA § 17-80-402
Location- Type of site/Geography
“Distant site” means the location of the healthcare professional delivering services through telemedicine at the time the services are provided. “Originating site” means a site at which a patient is located at the time healthcare services are provided to him or her by means of telemedicine. Source:ACA § 17-80-402	“Distant site” means the location of the healthcare professional delivering services through telemedicine at the time the services are provided. “Originating site” means a site at which a patient is located at the time healthcare services are provided to him or her by means of telemedicine. Source:ACA § 17-80-402
Type of Service
No reference found.	“Consultation by means of telecommunication” means the rendering of a professional opinion, expert opinion, or advice by a physical therapist to another physical therapist or health care provider through telecommunication technology. “Consultation by means of telecommunication” includes the review or transfer of patient records or related information through telecommunication technology Source:ACA § 17-93-102
Supervision
No reference found.	A physical therapist providing supervision is not required to be on-site, but must be “readily available for consultation” which means “the ability to be reached in-person or by telecommunications within 30 minutes.” Source:ACR R71-00-001
Informed Consent
Occupational therapists must follow applicable state and federal law, rules, and regulations for informed consent. Source:ACA § 17-80-404	Physical therapists must follow applicable state and federal law, rules, and regulations for informed consent. Source:ACA § 17-80-404
Patient-Provider-Relationship/In-Person Exam Required
A healthcare professional may not provide telemedicine services to a patient located in Arkansas unless a professional relationship exists between the healthcare professional and the patient or the healthcare professional otherwise meets the requirements of a professional relationship. The existence of a professional relationship is not required in the following circumstances: Emergency situations where the life or health of the patient is in danger or imminent danger; or Simply providing in formation of a generic nature, not meant to be specific to an individual patient. If the establishment of a professional relationship is permitted via telemedicine in the professional relationship requirements (below), telemedicine may be used to establish the professional relationship only for situations in which the standard of care does not require an in-person encounter. The following may not be used to establish a professional relationship: An internet questionnaire; An email message; Patient-generated medical history; Audio-only communication, including without limitation interactive audio; Text messaging; A facsimile machine; or Any combination thereof. Source:ACA § 17-80-403 A professional relationship is established: After a healthcare professional therapist has conducted an in-person examination and is available to provide appropriate follow-up care, when necessary, at medically necessary intervals; The healthcare professional personally knows the patient and the patient’s relevant health status through an ongoing personal or professional relationship and is available to provide appropriate follow-up care, when necessary, at medically necessary intervals; The treatment is provided by a healthcare professional in consultation with, or upon referral by, another healthcare professional who has an ongoing relationship with the patient and who has agreed to supervise the patient’s treatment, including follow-up care; An on-call or cross-coverage arrangement exists with the patient’s regular treating healthcare professional or another healthcare professional who has established a professional relationship with the patient; A relationship exists in other circumstances as defined by rule of the Arkansas State Medical Board for healthcare professionals under its jurisdiction and their patients; or A relationship exists in other circumstances as defined by rule of a licensing or certification board for other healthcare professionals under the jurisdiction of the appropriate board and their patients if the rules are no less restrictive than the rules of the Arkansas State Medical Board Source:ACA § 17-80-402	A healthcare professional may not provide telemedicine services to a patient located in Arkansas unless a professional relationship exists between the healthcare professional and the patient or the healthcare professional otherwise meets the requirements of a professional relationship. The existence of a professional relationship is not required in the following circumstances: Emergency situations where the life or health of the patient is in danger or imminent danger; or Simply providing in formation of a generic nature, not meant to be specific to an individual patient. If the establishment of a professional relationship is permitted via telemedicine in the professional relationship requirements (below), telemedicine may be used to establish the professional relationship only for situations in which the standard of care does not require an in-person encounter. The following may not be used to establish a professional relationship: An internet questionnaire; An email message; Patient-generated medical history; Audio-only communication, including without limitation interactive audio; Text messaging; A facsimile machine; or Any combination thereof. Source:ACA § 17-80-403 A professional relationship is established: After a healthcare professional therapist has conducted an in-person examination and is available to provide appropriate follow-up care, when necessary, at medically necessary intervals; The healthcare professional personally knows the patient and the patient’s relevant health status through an ongoing personal or professional relationship and is available to provide appropriate follow-up care, when necessary, at medically necessary intervals; The treatment is provided by a healthcare professional in consultation with, or upon referral by, another healthcare professional who has an ongoing relationship with the patient and who has agreed to supervise the patient’s treatment, including follow-up care; An on-call or cross-coverage arrangement exists with the patient’s regular treating healthcare professional or another healthcare professional who has established a professional relationship with the patient; A relationship exists in other circumstances as defined by rule of the Arkansas State Medical Board for healthcare professionals under its jurisdiction and their patients; or A relationship exists in other circumstances as defined by rule of a licensing or certification board for other healthcare professionals under the jurisdiction of the appropriate board and their patients if the rules are no less restrictive than the rules of the Arkansas State Medical Board Source:ACA § 17-80-402
Licensing
A licensing or certification board shall not permit the use of telemedicine in a manner that is less restrictive than the use of telemedicine authorized by the Arkansas State Medical Board. Source:ACA § 17-80-404 Occupational therapists must be licensed or certified in Arkansas to provide telehealth services to patients in the state. Source:ACA § 17-80-404	A person is exempt from the licensing requirements if she is “A physical therapist who is licensed in another jurisdiction of the United States if the physical therapist is providing consultation by means of telecommunication to a physical therapist licensed by the board under this chapter;” Source:ACA § 17-93-301 A licensing or certification board shall not permit the use of telemedicine in a manner that is less restrictive than the use of telemedicine authorized by the Arkansas State Medical Board. Source:ACA § 17-80-404 Physical therapists must be licensed or certified in Arkansas to provide telehealth services to patients in the state. Source: ACA § 17-80-404
Other
Services provided via telemedicine shall be held to the same standard of care as healthcare services provided in person. Source:ACA § 17-80-404	No reference found.