As the coronavirus spread, Arkansas Policy Foundation urged state leaders to allow patients to seek medical expertise through telemedicine. Arkansas’s governor has issued nine executive orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of those executive orders suspends provisions of Arkansas’ Telemedicine Act, which required a face-to-face meeting to establish a doctor-patient relationship.

The executive order removes this requirement, allowing doctors to start a relationship with a patient remotely. This reform will help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus and improve access to care for all Arkansas citizens.