.04 Standards of Practice for Telehealth.

A. Before providing telehealth services, a telehealth practitioner shall develop and follow a procedure to:

(1) Verify the identification of the patient receiving telehealth services through use of:

(a) A government-issued photograph identification;

(b) An insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare card; or

(c) Documentation of the patient’s:

(i) Date of birth; and

(ii) Home address;

(2) For an initial patient-telehealth practitioner encounter, disclose the telehealth practitioner’s:

(a) Name;

(b) Maryland license number and type or compact privilege number, if applicable, and

(c) Contact information;

(3) Obtain oral or written consent from a patient or patient’s parent or guardian if State law requires the consent of a parent or guardian, including informing patients of the risks, benefits, and side effects of the recommended treatment plan;

(4) Securely collect and transmit a patient’s medical health information, clinical data, clinical images, laboratory results, and self–reported medical health and clinical history, as necessary, and prevent access to data by unauthorized persons through encryption or other means;

(5) Notify patients in the event of a data breach;

(6) Ensure that the telehealth practitioner provides a secure and private communication modality that complies with federal and state privacy laws; and

(7) Establish safety protocols to be used in the case of an emergency, including contact information for emergency services at the patient’s location.

B. Except when providing asynchronous telehealth services, a telehealth practitioner shall:

(1) Obtain or confirm an alternative method of contacting the patient in case of a technological failure;

(2) Confirm whether the patient is in Maryland and identify the specific practice setting in which the patient is located; and

(3) Identify all individuals present at each location and confirm they are allowed to hear the patient’s health information.

C. A telehealth practitioner shall be held to the same standards of practice and documentation as those applicable for in-person physical therapy practice appointments.