As used in this subchapter:
(1) “Distant site” means the location of the healthcare professional delivering healthcare services through telemedicine at the time the services are provided;
(2) “Health benefit plan” means: An individual, blanket, or group plan, policy, or contract for healthcare services issued or delivered by an insurer, health maintenance organization, hospital medical service corporation, or self-insured governmental or church plan in this state; and
(3) Any health benefit program receiving state or federal appropriations from the State of Arkansas, including the Arkansas Medicaid Program, the Health Care Independence Program [expired], commonly referred to as the “Private Option”, and the Arkansas Works Program, or any successor program.
(4) “Health benefit plan” includes: Indemnity and managed care plans; and
(5) Nonfederal governmental plans as defined in 29 U.S.C. § 1002(32), as it existed on January 1, 2015.
(6) “Health benefit plan” does not include: Disability income plans;
(7) Credit insurance plans;
(8) Insurance coverage issued as a supplement to liability insurance;
(9) Medical payments under automobile or homeowners insurance plans;
(10) Health benefit plans provided under Arkansas Constitution, Article 5, § 32, the Workers' Compensation Law, § 11-9-101 et seq., or the Public Employee Workers' Compensation Act, § 21-5-601 et seq.;
(11) Plans that provide only indemnity for hospital confinement;
(12) Accident-only plans;
(13) Specified disease plans; or
(14) Long-term-care-only plans;
(15) “Healthcare professional” means a person who is licensed, certified, or otherwise authorized by the laws of this state to administer health care in the ordinary course of the practice of his or her profession;
(16) “Originating site” means a site at which a patient is located at the time healthcare services are provided to him or her by means of telemedicine;
(17) “Remote patient monitoring” means the use of synchronous or asynchronous electronic information and communication technology to collect personal health information and medical data from a patient at an originating site that is transmitted to a healthcare professional at a distant site for use in the treatment and management of medical conditions that require frequent monitoring;
(18) “Store-and-forward technology” means the asynchronous transmission of a patient's medical information from a healthcare professional at an originating site to a healthcare professional at the distant site; and
(19) “Telemedicine” means the use of electronic information and communication technology to deliver healthcare services, including without limitation the assessment, diagnosis, consultation, treatment, education, care management, and self-management of a patient.
(20) “Telemedicine” includes store-and-forward technology and remote patient monitoring.
(21) For the purposes of this subchapter, “telemedicine” does not include the use of: Audio-only communication, including without limitation interactive audio;
(22) A facsimile machine;
(23) Text messaging; or
(24) Electronic mail systems.