Rockford Sun

Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) took to the Senate floor recently to introduce an amendment to the state's Telehealth Act to include dentists.

“This just adds dental telehealth to the current medical telehealth,” Syverson said of the measure, SB2587,  during floor debate April 17 .

Dentists were supposed to be included in the original legislation, he added, however there was an oversight.

The bill adds dentists to the list of health care professionals, which includes optometrists, advanced practice nurses, clinical psychologists, mental health professions and clinicians, covered by the Telehealth Act.

“Telehealth means the evaluation, diagnosis, or interpretation of electronically transmitted patient-specific data between a remote location and a licensed health care professional that generates interaction or treatment recommendations,” according to the bill's text.

Syverson said he knew of no opposition of the bill, which, according to the bill's text, “includes telemedicine and the delivery of health care services provided by way of an interactive telecommunications system.”

SB2587 passed in the Senate and moved to the House.