§ 27-81-3. Definitions.
As used in this chapter:
(1) "Clinically appropriate� means care that is delivered in the appropriate medical setting.
(2) "Distant site� means a site at which a healthcare provider is located while providing
healthcare services by means of telemedicine.
(3) "Healthcare facility� means an institution providing healthcare services or a healthcare
setting, including, but not limited to: hospitals and other licensed inpatient centers;
ambulatory surgical or treatment centers; skilled nursing centers; residential treatment
centers; diagnostic, laboratory and imaging centers; and rehabilitation and other
therapeutic health settings.
(4) "Healthcare professional� means a physician or other healthcare practitioner licensed,
accredited, or certified to perform specified healthcare services consistent with
state law.
(5) "Healthcare provider� means a healthcare professional or a healthcare facility.
(6) "Healthcare services� means any services included in the furnishing to any individual
of medical, podiatric, or dental care, or hospitalization, or incident to the furnishing
of that care or hospitalization, and the furnishing to any person of any and all other
services for the purpose of preventing, alleviating, curing, or healing human illness,
injury, or physical disability.
(7) "Health insurer� means any person, firm, or corporation offering and/or insuring healthcare
services on a prepaid basis, including, but not limited to, a nonprofit service corporation,
a health maintenance organization, the Rhode Island Medicaid program, including its
contracted managed care entities, or an entity offering a policy of accident and sickness
insurance.
(8) "Health maintenance organization� means a health maintenance organization as defined
in chapter 41 of this title.
(9) "Medically necessary� means medical, surgical, or other services required for the
prevention, diagnosis, cure, or treatment of a health-related condition, including
services necessary to prevent a decremental change in either medical or mental health
status.
(10) "Nonprofit service corporation� means a nonprofit hospital service corporation as
defined in chapter 19 of this title, or a nonprofit medical service corporation as
defined in chapter 20 of this title.
(11) "Originating site� means a site at which a patient is located at the time healthcare
services are provided to them by means of telemedicine, which can include a patient's
home where medically necessary and clinically appropriate.
(12) "Policy of accident and sickness insurance� means a policy of accident and sickness
insurance as defined in chapter 18 of this title.
(13) "Rhode Island Medicaid program� means a state-administered, medical assistance program
that is funded by the state and federal governments under Title XIX and Title XXI
of the U.S. Social Security Act and any general or public laws and administered by
the executive office of health and human services.
(14) "Store-and-forward technology� means the technology used to enable the transmission
of a patient's medical information from an originating site to the healthcare provider
at the distant site without the patient being present.
(15) "Telemedicine� means the delivery of clinical healthcare services by use of real time,
two-way synchronous audio, video, telephone-audio-only communications or electronic
media or other telecommunications technology including, but not limited to: online
adaptive interviews, remote patient monitoring devices, audiovisual communications,
including the application of secure video conferencing or store-and-forward technology
to provide or support healthcare delivery, which facilitate assessment, diagnosis,
counseling and prescribing treatment, and care management of a patient's health care
while such patient is at an originating site and the healthcare provider is at a distant
site, consistent with applicable federal laws and regulations. "Telemedicine� does
not include an email message or facsimile transmission between the provider and patient,
or an automated computer program used to diagnose and/or treat ocular or refractive
conditions.