Opinion: Telemedicine rapidly winning converts — except among TX regulators

State leaders like to say Texas is wide open for business, but that’s not the case with telemedicine. The Texas Medical Board, led by a panel made up largely of physicians, keeps putting up road blocks for this promising niche in health care. And that’s made Texas one of the most hostile states in the nation even as telemedicine rapidly wins more converts. While the regulatory board talks about patient safety, others say the resistance is about doctors protecting themselves from new competition. The restrictions are especially hard to stomach here because so many Texans don’t have doctors and need affordable health care options.