Are Telehealth Services Regulated in Mexico?

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Telehealth services are part of the health practices conducted by healthcare institutions, so these services need to meet certain regulations in the country they are running in. For instance, in the US, there are various regulations covering telehealth services, which include remote patient monitoring, telemedicine, online health consultation, and so on.

These regulations are there to help both patients and healthcare facilities get the best out of the telehealth services they use.

The regulations surrounding the telehealth services, such as telemedicine and remote patient monitoring, might include the consent requirement, health insurance policy, how patients can access telehealth services during pandemic situations, and many others. These regulations might also include state and federal regulations, which the health facilities need to adhere to if they want to keep operating their telehealth services in the country.

  1. Telehealth Services Regulation Status in Mexico

Telehealth services still don’t have any specific regulations in Mexico. So, healthcare facilities that want to provide telehealth services will need to comply with medical devices and data provision regulations in Mexico, aside from following the general health regulations within the country. With this regulation, telehealth services in Mexico need to ensure that they can protect the health data of their patients, along with other sensitive information provided by the patients.

Also, each telehealth service will get the same treatment as any medical device, so they are subject to a certain quality testing, approval, and standardization before people can use them in Mexico. 

  1. The Regulations that Cover Telehealth Services in Mexico

Running a telehealth service in Mexico is not the same as running a telehealth service in the States. In the States, there are state and federal regulations that regulate various aspects of telehealth services. However, in Mexico, the regulations of telehealth services need to follow the existing regulations about medical devices and health services because of the lack of telehealth services regulations at the moment.

Healthcare facilities that are planning to operate telehealth services in Mexico need to follow the regulations related to health practices, data privacy and protection, medical devices, and health supplies. It is also important to know that only those who live within the Mexican jurisdictions can use the telehealth services in Mexico.

  1. Related Regulations that Cover Telehealth Services in Mexico

Aside from the regulations related to medical devices and health practices, telehealth services in Mexico also need to follow the related regulations. For instance, there’s the regulation about B2C (Business to Customer) that telehealth services are a part of. It means that as a B2C service, telehealth services need to adhere to the legal rules related to being a service provider in Mexico.

As a B2C, telehealth services in Mexico need to ensure that the users get the best services out of them, and the service providers can give the rights for the users, such as their data security and privacy. Telehealth services can also follow the B2B regulations in Mexico when the government considers them as facilities. With telehealth services being regarded as facilities, the healthcare professionals that work with the telehealth apps will need to take responsibility for the services they provide to their patients.

  1. Some Standard Requirements for Telehealth Services

To operate a telehealth service, health facilities need to meet some standard requirements to ensure that their telehealth service is running without issues. Also, by following these standard requirements, they can serve their patients even better during their telehealth sessions. Here are some standard requirements telehealth services need to follow:

  • Telehealth services need to license their healthcare professionals, so only the licensed professionals can take part in the telehealth sessions.
  • There’s a strict requirement for prescribing medications online. For instance, the telehealth service might require the patient to come to the healthcare facility when they first get their online prescription. The requirements vary depending on the telehealth service you are using.
  • Sometimes, telehealth service providers need to get the verbal or written consent from the patient before they can start the telehealth session for the patient.
  • Telehealth service providers might also need the patient to come to the healthcare facility first before they can take part in the telehealth session.
  • Also, telehealth services might need to provide health insurance options for the patient before they can take part in the telehealth sessions.

Conclusion

You have learned about the telehealth regulations in Mexico and some important information about running a telehealth service there. Remember, running a telehealth service in Mexico will differ from running the same service in the US. So, you need to understand the Mexican regulations concerning telehealth services and which regulations you need to follow to run this type of long-distance health service in the country.

Mexico Daily Post