Alabama Medical Board Suspends In-Person Visit Rule As Prerequisite For Telehealth

On August 19, 2015, the Alabama State Board of Medical Examiners voted to suspend enforcement of its 2014 rule on telehealth that requires a first-time visit between a consumer and a physician to take place in person. The Board of Medical Examiners intends to seek passage of an updated statute specific to telehealth.

The board’s decision was due to a United States Supreme Court decision in February 2015 in North Carolina Board of Dental Examiners v. the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The Supreme Court was asked to decide if state-level licensing boards are protected from . . .