Esther is an occupational therapist practicing in a rural area. She approaches her critical access hospital about expanding to telehealth, which she feels could increase her productivity. One important consideration Esther must understand before approaching hospital leadership is:

Question

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State licensure regulations have not caught up with the expanding use of telehealth in each state. Currently, state licensure regarding the use of telehealth to provide occupational therapy services varies greatly. Most state licensure boards either take no position, deem it out of their authority, or directly regulate the use of telehealth by occupational therapy practitioners. Direct regulation may include items of parity between traditional in-person services and those provided by telehealth, the physical location of the practitioner, and the requirement of state licensure in the state where the client is located (AOTA State Affairs, 2018). Before implementing the use of telehealth in any state, occupational therapy practitioners should review the current state licensure laws related to their own state as well as the state where the client is located. If the licensure laws are unclear, the practitioner should consult the professional licensing board(s).

Esther Is an Occupational Therapist Practicing in a Rural Area