California lawmakers just made it easier for millions of children to get the health care they need, while, at the same time, building on California’s role as a leader in advancing technology. Specifically, Assembly Bill  (AB) 415 (Logue), which was signed into law by Governor Brown late last week, will enable millions of children and other underserved populations to access much needed health care through the use of telehealth. While the benefits of telehealth are well-established, California law had restricted the use of telehealth to its full potential. AB 415 is a first step in removing these restrictions.

Telehealth—the use of technology to provide health care at a distance—is a powerful and important tool that helps overcome major geographic and economical obstacles low-income and other underserved children and families face in getting the health care they need. Through the use of video conferencing, the electronic exchange of information, Web applications, mobile devices and other technologies, telehealth makes it possible for children and families to access health, dental, mental, vision, and other primary and specialty care. These are families who have had little or no access to health care due to health care provider shortages, transportation costs, lost time from work and school, and other barriers to accessing care.

While telehealth can increase access to health care for all populations, it holds particular promise for improving the health of children. Nearly 2.4 million children in California live in federally designated shortage areas for health care. Through the use of video conferencing and other Web-based technologies, telehealth can connect a child in a remote area to a pediatrician, a dentist, or a pediatric specialist. And children can get these services wherever it is convenient for the family, such as at school, at a nearby clinic, or even at home.

Telehealth also facilitates the coordination of care for children with special needs by simultaneously connecting the members of a child’s health care management team, such as the pediatrician, teacher, subspecialist, and social worker, who all may be located at different sites. Finally, telehealth can help children manage childhood chronic conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, and asthma, using a variety of technology tools, such as the Internet and cell phones.

AB 415 removes many of the restrictions in California law that previously prevented patients and health care providers from using telehealth. For example, AB 415 makes the process of accessing telehealth services more streamlined for patients by eliminating the need for written consent from patients to receive care via telehealth. Furthermore, AB 415 removes out-dated and unnecessary requirements in Medi-Cal (California’s Medicaid program) to document a barrier to an in-person visit before one can receive telehealth services. AB 415 also allows Medi-Cal to pay for all store-and-forward applications of telehealth—the transfer of data, such as an x-ray or a digital image from one site to another for review and consultation at a later time—and the use of email and telephone to provide health care services. Finally, by expanding the definition of telehealth, AB 415 recognizes that technology is evolving at a rapid pace, and new ways to harness computers, the Web, smart phones and other devices to improve health are being developed just as fast.

AB 415 was the product of the work of dozens of stakeholders from across all sectors who saw the potential of telehealth to improve the lives of Californians. Led by the Center for Connected Health Policy, key stakeholders across the state, including The Children’s Partnership, developed a model statute for telehealth on which AB 415 was designed. The effort to move AB 415 through the Legislature was also a coalition-based effort led by the California State Rural Health Association with the Center for Connected Health Policy, The Children’s Partnership, and many others.

California was one of the pioneers of telehealth among states, with programs operating in the early 1990s and enactment of one of the first state telehealth laws in 1996. With overwhelming bipartisan support, AB 415 was passed by the Legislature, demonstrating that our state leaders are committed to re-establishing California as a leader in telehealth.

The Children’s Partnership has long advocated for the use of technology to improve the lives of children in California and across the nation. AB 415 is an important step in advancing telehealth in California to ensure that children can get the health, mental, and dental care they need in places that are most convenient for their families. Now that several restrictions to using telehealth in California are removed, we look forward to working with policy-makers and key stakeholders to ensure that telehealth services are paid for by Medi-Cal and other payers so that California can truly ensure all of its residents—especially its most vulnerable populations, such as its children—get the health care they need.

Jenny Kattlove is Director of Strategic Health Initiatives at The Children’s Partnership. The Children's Partnership is a national, nonprofit child advocacy organization—with its main office in California—working to ensure that all children—especially those at risk of being left behind—have the resources and the opportunities they need to grow up healthy and to lead productive lives.