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Bill Summary · HB 658

HB 658 — Optometrists Telehealth Services (summary)

Status: Introduced in 2025 legislative session; bill text provides an effective date of October 1, 2025. Primary sponsor: Rep. Campbell (with additional House co‑sponsors listed in bill file).

Purpose / Intent

Allow licensed optometrists greater flexibility to deliver optometry care through telemedicine to patients located in North Carolina, while preserving Board oversight and the existing scope‑of‑practice standards.

Key provisions

  • Adds a new telemedicine statute to Article 6, Chapter 90 (proposed G.S. § 90‑118.5A):

    • A licensed North Carolina optometrist may provide optometry services to patients located in North Carolina by telemedicine.
    • The optometrist must hold a valid, active North Carolina license to treat a patient located in the State, but the optometrist is not required to be physically located in North Carolina while providing the telemedicine visit and is not required to hold a license in the state where they happen to be located.
    • Use of telemedicine does not change the scope of optometry practice; licensees remain subject to all applicable laws and Board rules.
    • The North Carolina Board of Examiners in Optometry retains authority to investigate and pursue violations of the Optometry Article for telemedicine practice.

  • Rulemaking directive to the Board:

    • Adopt implementing rules consistent with the statute and the Board’s Telemedicine Position Statement.
    • Rule topics enumerated include: licensee–patient relationship, examination/evaluation/diagnosis standards via telemedicine, patient recordkeeping, prescribing, telemedicine standard of care, and display of licensure/credentials.

Who is affected

  • Licensed optometrists in North Carolina (gain explicit statutory authority to use telemedicine).
  • Patients located in North Carolina (potentially increased access to optometry services remotely).
  • North Carolina Board of Examiners in Optometry (responsible for rulemaking and enforcement).
  • Other stakeholders (payors, pharmacies, health systems) may be affected operationally or by billing/coverage practices.

Implementation & timeline

  • The act specifies an effective date of October 1, 2025.
  • The Board must promulgate administrative rules to implement the statutory provisions; those rules will define operational and clinical standards for telemedicine optometry.

Potential impacts and considerations

  • Likely to expand remote access and convenience for patients (rural, mobility‑limited).
  • Maintains professional and regulatory accountability: telemedicine care remains within existing scope and subject to Board discipline.
  • Raises practical considerations for standard of care, prescribing, cross‑state practice logistics (since practitioners may be located outside NC when providing care), and integration with in‑person follow up when required.
  • The statutory requirement that the treating optometrist hold an active North Carolina license aims to preserve consumer protection while allowing flexibility in practitioner location.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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