Section 40-47-37 - Practice of telemedicine, requirements(A) A licensee who provides care, renders a diagnosis, or otherwise engages in the practice of medicine as defined in Section 40-47-20(36) via telemedicine as defined in Section 40-47-20(52) shall:(1) adhere to the same standard of care as in-person medical care and be evaluated according to the standard of care applicable to the licensee's area of specialty. The failure of a licensee to conform to the appropriate standard of care is considered unprofessional conduct under Section 40-47-110(B)(9);(2) generate and maintain medical records for such telemedicine services in compliance with any applicable state and federal laws, rules, and regulations including this chapter, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH). Such records timely must be made accessible to other practitioners and to the patient when lawfully requested by the patient or his lawfully designated representative;(3) prescribe in accordance with Section 40-47-113;(4) be licensed to practice medicine in this State; provided, however, a licensee need not reside in this State if he has a valid, current South Carolina medical license; further, provided, that a licensee who resides in this State and intends to practice medicine via telemedicine to treat or diagnose patients outside of this State shall comply with other applicable state licensing boards; and(a) this requirement is not applicable to an informal consultation or second opinion, at the request of a physician licensed to practice medicine in this State, provided that the physician requesting the opinion retains the authority and responsibility for the patient's care; and(b) where an in-person physician-patient relationship is established in another state for specialty care and treatment is ongoing by that out-of-state provider, care provided pursuant to an existing treatment plan via telehealth in this State by the out-of-state provider between in-person visits is considered acts incidental to the care of the patient in another state and the out-of-state provider is not required to be licensed in this State. This exception may not be construed to apply to: (i) episodic care that is provided by an out-of-state provider;(ii) new health conditions that arise and are not connected to the condition being treated by the out-of-state provider; or(iii) care provided by an out-of-state provider for extended periods of time without intervening in-person visits; and(c) for purposes of subitems (a) and (b), the care provided to the patient by the out-of-state provider is deemed to have occurred where the patient was located at the time health care services were provided to him by means of telehealth; and(d) shall maintain a controlled substances registration with South Carolina's Bureau of Drug Control if prescribing controlled substances.(B) Nothing in this section may be construed to prohibit electronic communications between: (1) a physician and patient with a preexisting physician-patient relationship;(2) a physician and another physician concerning a patient with whom the other physician has a physician-patient relationship; or(3) a provider and a patient when treatment is provided pursuant to an on-call situation or a cross-coverage situation.(C) In addition to those requirements set forth in subsection (A), a licensee who establishes and/or maintains a physician-patient relationship, provides care, renders a diagnosis, or otherwise engages in the practice of medicine as defined in Section 40-47-20(36) solely via telemedicine as defined in Section 40-47-20(53) shall:(1) adhere to current standards for practice improvement and monitoring of outcomes and provide reports containing such information upon request of the board;(2) provide an appropriate evaluation prior to diagnosing and/or treating the patient, which need not be done in person if the licensee considers that he is able to accurately diagnose and treat the patient in conformity with the applicable standard of care via telehealth; provided that evaluations in which a licensee is at a distant site, but a practitioner who is acting within his scope is able to provide various physical findings the licensee needs to complete an adequate assessment, is permitted;(3) ensure the availability of appropriate follow-up care;(4) verify the identity and location of the patient and inform the patient of the licensee's name, location, and professional credentials;(5) maintain the confidentiality of a patient's records and disclose the records to the patient consistent with state and federal law; provided, that licensees practicing telemedicine must be held to the same standards of professionalism concerning medical records transfer and communication with the primary care provider and medical home as licensees practicing via traditional means;(6) if applicable, discuss with the patient the value of having a primary care medical home and, if the patient requests, provide assistance in identifying available options for a primary care medical home;(7) prescribe in compliance with all relevant federal and state laws including, but not limited to, participation in the South Carolina Prescription Monitoring Program in Article 15, Chapter 53, Title 44 and the Ryan Haight Act, within a practice setting fully compliant with this section, and subject to the following limitations:(a) at each encounter, threshold information necessary to make an accurate diagnosis must be obtained in a medical history interview conducted by the prescribing licensee;(b) Schedule II-narcotic and Schedule III-narcotic prescriptions are not permitted except in the following instances:(i) when the practice of telemedicine is being conducted while the patient is physically located in a hospital and being treated by a practitioner acting in the usual course of professional practice;(ii) those Schedule II and Schedule III medications used specifically for patients actively enrolled in a Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) program with a provider who has an established physician-patient relationship when buprenorphine is being prescribed as a medication for opioid use disorder;(iii) patients enrolled in palliative care or hospice; or(iv) any other programs specifically authorized by the board; and(c) prescribing abortion inducing drugs is not permitted; as used in this chapter "abortion inducing drug" means a medicine, drug, or any other substance prescribed or dispensed with the intent of terminating the clinically diagnosable pregnancy of a woman, with knowledge that the termination will with reasonable likelihood cause the death of the unborn child. This includes off label use of drugs known to have abortion-inducing properties that are prescribed specifically with the intent of causing an abortion, such as misoprostol (Cytotec) and methotrexate. This definition does not apply to drugs that may be known to cause an abortion, but which are prescribed for other medical indications including, but not limited to, chemotherapeutic agents or diagnostic drugs. Use of such drugs to induce abortion is also known as "medical", "drug induced", or "chemical abortion"; and(8) be prohibited from establishing a physician-patient relationship pursuant to Section 40-47-113(B) for the purpose of prescribing medication when an in-person physical examination is necessary for diagnosis.(D) A licensee, practitioner, or any other person involved in a telemedicine encounter must be trained in the use of the telemedicine equipment and competent in its operation.(E) Notwithstanding any of the provisions of this section, the board shall retain all authority with respect to telemedicine practice as granted in Section 40-47-10(I) of this chapter.Amended by 2024 S.C. Acts, Act No. 120 (HB 4159),s 4, eff. 3/11/2024.Added by 2016 S.C. Acts, Act No. 210 (SB 1035), s 2, eff. 6/3/2016.