February 5, 2016 4:53 PM

Anti-trust law could open door to medical competition

Texas is one of only two states that has declined to put telemedicine on the books

An obscure but important U.S. Supreme Court decision last year gave telemedicine a chance to make headway in competition with Texas brick-and-mortar doctors.

The case of Teladoc v Texas Medical Board now is headed to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Last month, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman agreed Teladoc had the right to sue TMB over its new telemedicine rule, which requires face-to-face interaction before any type of medical diagnosis.

Teladoc has operated in Texas for a decade without a single complaint, said general counsel Adam Vandervoort. Texas remains one of two states – the other being Arkansas – that have declined to put telemedicine on the books.

“I respect the Texas Medical Board. It’s a very strong board. It keeps the public safe,” Vandervoort said in a phone interview. “But it’s unwilling to listen to this, or even discuss if there is a safe way of doing this.”

By Kimberly Reeves