Georgia legislators recently sent a bill to Gov. Brian Kemp to regulate teledentistry in the state.
Five notes:
1. The bill, if signed, sets certain standards for how teledentistry should be provided in the state.
2. The bill would also define teledentistry as "the delivery of dental care through the use of synchronous, real-time communication in conjunction with and supported by store and forward technologies under the general supervision of the authorizing dentist when dental care is provided to a patient physically located at a site in this state that is different from the site where the authorizing dentist is physically located."
3. Under the bill, dentists who intend on providing teledentistry services must establish a referral relationship with another dentist who practices in an office in the state. That dentist must also notify the state dental board.
4. Dentists will not be authorized to prescribe controlled substances through teledentistry.
5. The bill also specifies what services dental hygienists in the state will be allowed to provide through teledentistry and authorizes technology to transmit patient records.