Is Missouri finally starting to treat telemedicine like modern healthcare?
As I’ve written many times, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Missouri became one of the nation’s leaders in telemedicine access. Patients gained easier access to remote care, providers gained greater flexibility, and many Missourians discovered firsthand how technology can reduce barriers to healthcare.
Unfortunately, when the public health emergency ended, many of those reforms disappeared. Over the past several years, lawmakers have worked to restore some of that flexibility, and this year’s legislation represents another meaningful step forward.
There are currently several bills (House Bill 2372, House Bill 2974, and Senate Bill 1233), awaiting the governor’s signature that would accomplish a few things. Under current law, providers generally must establish a physician–patient relationship before treating someone through telehealth. The new legislation makes that process more flexible by allowing providers to determine when a relationship can be safely established remotely.
The bills also make telemedicine prescribing more practical by focusing on whether a provider has enough information to appropriately diagnose and treat a patient instead of relying on rigid restrictions surrounding questionnaires or telephone-only evaluations. Perhaps even more important, providers licensed through Missouri’s reciprocity system will have clearer authority to provide telehealth services to Missouri patients. That means patients are no longer limited to the providers located near where they live and can more easily connect with healthcare professionals across the country who are willing to treat Missouri patients.
These changes may sound technical, but their impact could be significant. Much of Missouri continues to face healthcare provider shortages, particularly people who live in rural communities or who require care in specialized fields. Patients often wait weeks for appointments, travel long distances for care, or delay treatment altogether. None of this is to say telemedicine can solve every healthcare access challenge, but it can help connect patients to providers more quickly without requiring new facilities or providers to relocate.
The reforms also demonstrate a reality that has become increasingly clear over the past decade: telemedicine is now a key part of the healthcare system. Patients routinely use remote care for follow-up appointments, consultations, behavioral health services, and many other healthcare needs. Providers have invested heavily in telemedicine technology, and patients increasingly expect those options to remain available. As healthcare technology evolves, state laws should continue adapting so Missourians can benefit from those innovations.
All this is to say there is still more work to do. Missouri should continue moving toward a more modality-neutral approach that focuses on the quality of care rather than the technology used to deliver it. Lawmakers should also continue expanding telemedicine options for providers working within their existing scope of practice and further remove barriers that prevent qualified out-of-state providers from treating Missouri patients remotely.
Missouri may not yet be the telemedicine leader it was during the pandemic, but this year’s reforms move the state further in that direction. Addressing Missouri’s healthcare access challenges will require moving beyond outdated assumptions about how care should be delivered and focusing instead on whether patients can safely access the care they need.
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