TelePsychology/TeleHealth/Tele-Salúd

Tele-Medicine Louisiana

-        MP can provide Tele-Health in Louisiana when the patient is located at a FQHC or a hospital:

Under La. R.S. 37:1271.1, the in-person requirement for prescribing controlled substances via telehealth in Louisiana is waived only when the patient is physically located at a licensed healthcare facility with a DEA registration. The statute states that a physician who utilizes telehealth for a patient being treated at a healthcare facility “may prescribe any controlled dangerous substance without necessity of conducting an appropriate in-person patient history or physical examination, provided the physician uses the same standard of care as if the services were provided in person.” This is a location-based exception. For example, if a patient is physically present at a licensed hospital, community mental health clinic, FQHC, or VA facility that holds a DEA registration during the telehealth encounter, a prior in-person visit is not required.

-        Physical Location of the Prescriber:  Under Louisiana Revised Statutes § 37:1271, Louisiana law does not require a Louisiana-licensed prescriber to be physically located in Louisiana when providing telehealth services; it requires that the provider hold an unrestricted Louisiana license and comply with state standards of care. The statute provides that “a physician who practices telemedicine shall hold an unrestricted license to practice medicine in the state of Louisiana” and defines telemedicine as the delivery of healthcare services “to a patient at a different physical location than the physician.” The statute regulates licensure and the location of the patient—not the geographic location of the prescriber—meaning that if the patient is physically located in Louisiana and the provider holds an active Louisiana license and complies with all applicable state and federal laws (including DEA requirements for controlled substances), the provider does not have to be physically present in Louisiana to prescribe via telehealth.

Louisiana Revised Statutes § 37:1271 A physician practicing telemedicine “shall provide the same standard of care as if the services were provided in person.” Source: Louisiana Legislature
https://legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=1017178

Louisiana Administrative Code tit. 46 § 7513 A tele-health controlled-substance prescription must be “in conformity with the same standard of care applicable to an in-person visit.” Source: Louisiana Administrative Code
https://regulations.justia.com/states/louisiana/title-46/part-xlv/subpart-3/chapter-75/subchapter-a/section-xlv-7513/

Medical Psychologist Prescriptive Authority Under Louisiana Revised Statutes § 37:1271, a provider practicing telemedicine in Louisiana “shall provide the same standard of care as if the services were provided in person.” Louisiana’s controlled substance telemedicine rule at Louisiana Administrative Code tit. 46 § 7513 further requires that a prescription issued via telehealth be “in conformity with the same standard of care applicable to an in-person visit.” For medical psychologists, Louisiana Revised Statutes § 37:2375 requires a valid certificate of prescriptive authority and prescribing in consultation and collaboration with the patient’s primary or attending physician. At the federal level, 21 U.S.C. § 829 requires that controlled substances be prescribed for a “legitimate medical purpose” in the usual course of professional practice.

Federal Government Tele-Health https://www.hrsa.gov/telehealth & https://telehealth.hhs.gov/

Best Practices: https://telehealth.hhs.gov/providers/best-practice-guides

Tele-Medicine Additional must-know Resources

-        DEA 2025 Tele-Medicine Rules  https://www.dea.gov/press-releases/2025/01/16/dea-announces-three-new-telemedicine-rules-continue-open-access

-        DHHS Prescribing controlled substances via tele-health (12/31/26 deadline) https://telehealth.hhs.gov/providers/telehealth-policy/prescribing-controlled-substances-via-telehealth  

-        Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2008: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/01/17/2025-01099/special-registrations-for-telemedicine-and-limited-state-telemedicine-registrations?utm_source=chatgpt.com

-        Telehealth Federal Policies: https://telehealth.hhs.gov/providers/telehealth-policy

-        American Tele-Medicine Association https://americantelemed.connectedcommunity.org/home

-        State by State Laws and Reimbursement for Tele-Medicine: https://telehealthresourcecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2025_SummaryChartfinal.pdf  

https://telehealthresourcecenter.org/

Prescribing from outside of the United States

o   (Telemedicine from abroad) https://www.physiciansidegigs.com/practicing-telemedicine-from-abroad-in-another-country

o   (Legal Implication) https://djholtlaw.com/launch-telehealth-practice-abroad-legal-guide/

o   Tele-Psychiatrist from Europe under DoD governed by applicable by the applicable international Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA):  Care delivered within the scope of a DoD contract on a U.S. installation abroad is generally covered by federal authority and the applicable Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), and European host-nation medical licensure is typically not required when practicing on base under federal duties.

o   (Tele-Psychiatry from Europe legal? Yes, here is how to do it) https://www.hippocraticadventures.com/telepsychiatry-from-abroad-heck-yes/

Self-Care Ideas

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1-844-493-8255    |     Text “TALK” to 38255

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline  (1-800-273-8255). Trained crisis workers are available to talk 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your confidential and toll-free call goes to the nearest crisis center in the Lifeline national network. These centers provide crisis counseling and mental health referrals. If the situation is potentially life-threatening, call 911 or go to a hospital emergency room.