Can the pre-treatment exam be done by telehealth in Arkansas?
Intake · part of The Practice Perimeter
Short answer
The cited rules do not settle this — the physician must personally diagnose and prescribe the laser treatment, and telemedicine is held to in-person standards of care and needs an established patient/provider relationship, but remote exams aren't addressed.
(a)(1) A patient/provider relationship must be established in accordance with 17 CAR § 140-202(b)(8) before the delivery of services via telemedicine. (2) “Provider” means a person licensed by the Arkansas State Medical Board. (3) A patient completing a medical history online and forwarding it to a provider is not sufficient to establish the relationship, nor does it qualify as store-and-forward technology.
17 CAR § 140-3201(a) (Telemedicine — patient/provider relationship) · verified Sep 4, 2026 · regulatory monitoring, not legal advice
Related Arkansas rules
(1) The practice of medicine via telemedicine shall be held to the same standards of care as traditional in-person encounters;
17 CAR § 140-3201(b)(1) (Telemedicine — standard of care) · verified Sep 4, 2026
(A) The physician must personally diagnose the condition of the patient and prescribe the treatment and procedure to be performed;
17 CAR § 140-1601(b)(2)(A) (Laser surgery guidelines) · verified Sep 4, 2026
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