KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas bill that extends health care-related adjustments made due to the COVID-19 pandemic ensures that telemedicine will continue to be offered through March 2022.
Gov. Laura Kelly on Wednesday signed Senate Bill 283, which allows physicians to prescribe prescriptions virtually and to practice telemedicine if they are under quarantine.
Physicians who hold licenses to practice medicine in other states can continue to treat Kansas patients if they have been granted a temporary emergency license.
“The effects of the pandemic are far-reaching and long lasting, and continued support for Kansans is paramount,” Kelly said in a news release. “This bill extends critical provisions that have expanded access to health care for a year – provisions that are still necessary to protect Kansans’ safety, keep our businesses open and keep our kids in school.”
The bill also allows the use of “non-hospital space to maximize the availability of patient care.” Hospitals will be required to notify health departments when using such spaces, but do not need department approval to do so.
Telehealth expansion was previously expected to end March 31.
Earlier in March, the University of Kansas Health System reported seeing about 100 patients daily through telemedicine prior to the pandemic. That number increased to roughly 1,000 during the pandemic.
