The legislature hereby finds the following:
(1) Telehealth services enhance access to health care, make delivery of health care more cost-effective and distribute limited health care provider resources more efficiently.
(2) Citizens with limited access to traditional health care may be diagnosed and treated sooner through telehealth services than they would be otherwise, resulting in improved health outcomes and less costly treatments due to early detection and prevention.
(3) Telehealth services address an unmet need for health care by persons who have limited access to such care due to provider shortages or geographic barriers.
(4) Telehealth services provide increased capacity for appropriate care in the appropriate location at the appropriate time to better serve patients, providers and communities.
(5) When practiced safely, telehealth services result in improvement in health outcomes by expanding health care access for the people of Idaho.