Bridging the Broadband Health Gap

The recent growth in the use of telehealth has facilitated new and expanded access to care for patients, while also raising questions for healthcare providers about laws and regulations regarding payment, use, and delivery of services. This issue brief is the third in a series that aims to address broadband barriers in healthcare, with the first brief exploring why broadband is a ‘super’ social determinant of health and the second brief assessing funding opportunities to improve access to care via broadband-enabled technologies. While there are a myriad of legal and policy considerations to note when expanding access to telehealth, this brief explores three key areas: reimbursement under federal healthcare programs, provider licensing, and prohibitions on patient steering.