OT advisory opinion on telehealth held pending board telehealth rule changes

The Occupational Therapy Advisory Committee discussed an advisory opinion on best practices for telehealth by occupational therapy practitioners and decided to delay publishing the opinion until the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners finalizes its updated telehealth rules.

Ingrid Frank said the advisory opinion had been written previously but was not published because the board had been revising telehealth rules to address allied health practitioners and out-of-state practice questions. Lauren Sudduth, LSBME attorney, confirmed the board tabled the telehealth rules to tighten language about out-of-state licensees and planned to consider the revised telehealth rules in August.

Why it matters: Committee members expressed concern about publishing guidance that might conflict with forthcoming administrative rules. Staff said they prefer releasing the advisory opinion only after the board's telehealth rules are promulgated so the guidance and rules align.

Committee plan and timing - Staff expect the telehealth rules to be presented to the board in August. If the rules are approved later in the year, the committee will review and update the advisory opinion to align with the final rule text. - The advisory opinion will be updated as needed to reflect federal regulatory changes that affect controlled substance prescribing and telehealth practice, if any.

Ending: Committee members asked staff to revisit the advisory opinion after the board acts on the telehealth rules and to include any clarifying language in the rules course or advisory materials if necessary.