Utah is one of the many states that started off 2017 with proposals to change its existing telehealth laws and regulations. Proposed Utah HB 154 (the Proposed Bill), endorsed by Ken Ivory and Allen Christensen, amends the regulatory infrastructure for telehealth, with a focus on mental health. Two of the key components of the Proposed Bill are listed below:

• The Proposed Bill creates a scope of telehealth practices within the Utah Health Code. Under the scope of practice requirements, any provider using telehealth to provide care will be held to the same standard of care as that applicable to in-person care. In addition, the Proposed Bill stipulates that a provider may not prescribe using telehealth unless the provider has obtained the patient’s relevant clinical history and documented the relevant clinical history and current symptoms. The provider must also be available for follow-up care and familiar with available medical resources near where the patient was located during the telehealth consult.

• The Proposed Bill enacts a new provision to the Utah Medical Assistance Act specifically enabling the provision of mental health services—treatment of mental conditions that are approved in the DSM-V—via telehealth technologies. This provision of the Proposed Bill is Utah’s attempt to increase access to behavioral and mental healthcare services in Utah. In particular, the DSM-V addresses substance abuse disorders as mental health disorders, and the telehealth provision will enable providers to help treat addiction using telehealth services where treatment facilities may not otherwise be available. Importantly, the Proposed Bill’s Medical Assistance Act amendment applies to any managed care organization that contracts with Medicaid, or any provider who is reimbursed under the Medicaid program, and requires insurers to disclose whether they provide coverage for telehealth services for mental health as part of the price and value comparison requirement under Utah law.

The Proposed Bill was passed by both the Utah House of Representatives and Senate and was enrolled on February 24, 2017. The Proposed Bill now awaits Governor Gary Herbert’s signature. If approved, the Proposed Bill will greatly expand access to health care for the mentally ill in Utah, and additionally provide more guidance to assist in the expanded use of telehealth and telemedicine services within the state.