In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, state agencies involved in
the administration of workers' compensation claims altered or
changed course entirely with regard to the use of electronic means
of communication—telehealth—between authorized medical
providers and injured workers.
In Ohio, after the state of emergency was declared on March 9,
2020, the Bureau of Workers' Compensation (“BWC”)
responded by authorizing various forms of telehealth as an approved
way for providers to deliver care to injured workers. The basis for
this new flexibility in care delivery was so medical providers
could determine the best means of providing care to injured workers
while reducing unnecessary exposure to COVID-19. The BWC now
utilizes multiple mediums, including telemedicine (audio and video)
and the telephone (audio only), to render telehealth services.
Similarly, other state agencies altered how telehealth could be
delivered and paid for under a workers' compensation claim.
