Opternative and others lobbied for the legislation.
New legislation in Virginia allows eyecare providers to prescribe through telemedicine, Healio reports.
The legislation states, in part: “For the purpose of a provider prescribing spectacles, eyeglasses, lenses, or contact lenses to a patient, a provider shall establish a bona fide provider-patient relationship by an examination (i) in person, (ii) through face-to-face interactive, two-way, real-time communication, or (iii) store-and-forward technologies.”
The prescription can’t be based only on an online form.
MobiHealthNews reports that the legislation “was the result of lobbying by telemedicine eye care companies” such as Opternative, Simple Contacts and 1-800 Contacts.
Peter Farrell, a state delegate who helped sponsor the bill, said that with the legislation, Virginia has struck a balance between signaling to entrepreneurs “that their ideas and innovations are welcome in our state” and ensuring “that the health and safety of our residents comes first.”
Online optical prescribing has been a heated issue in several states, including South Carolina, Georgia and Indiana.
Read more at Healio