HB 2057 Summary

• Allows standard telephone contacts to be included as a telehealth service modality in Hawaii, removing the previous exclusion that limited telehealth to video conferencing and digital communication methods.

• Amends four sections of Hawaii Revised Statutes (346-59.1, 431:10A-116.3, 432:1-601.5, and 432D-23.5) to strike language that prohibited standard telephone contacts from constituting telehealth services.

• Maintains that facsimile transmissions and email text alone do not constitute telehealth services, but permits their use in combination with other modalities.

• Addresses access gaps in underserved and low-income communities where broadband and cellular data plans are unavailable, enabling remote care for homebound patients and those unable to access in-person services.

• Takes effect upon approval and was introduced during the Thirty-First Hawaii Legislature in 2022.