Yes, licensed nurses (RN, LPN, or ARNP) in Washington state are required to take telemedicine training if the nurse provides telemedicine services. RCW 43.70.495 requires the nurse who provides clinical services through telemedicine independently or under the direction of an authorized health care practitioner to complete telemedicine training. “Telemedicine” as defined in RCW 70.41.020(13) means, “the delivery of health care services through the use of interactive audio and video technology, permitting real-time communication between the patient at the originating site and the provider, for the purpose of diagnosis, consultation, or treatment [but] does not include the use of audio-only telephone, facsimile, or email.”
The Washington State Telehealth Collaborative uses the following slightly different Medicaid definition of telemedicine in the training:
“Telemedicine is when a health care practitioner uses HIPAA-compliant, interactive, real-time audio and video telecommunications (including web-based applications) or store and forward technology to deliver covered services that are within his or her scope of practice to a client at a site other than the site where the provider is located.” WAC 182-531-1730(1). It does not include “the use of audio-only telephone, facsimile, or email.”