republic-os/legislation/us/states/in/2021/sb-3.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "Telehealth matters."
description: "Prohibits the Medicaid program from specifying originating sites and distant sites for purposes of Medicaid reimbursement. Prohibits the use of telehealth to provide any abortion, including the writing or filling of a prescription for any purpose that is intended to result in an abortion. Changes the use of the term \"telemedicine\" to \"telehealth\". Specifies certain activities that are considered to be health care services for purposes of the telehealth laws. Expands the application of the telehealth statute to additional licensed practitioners instead of applying only to prescribers. Amends the definition of \"prescriber\" and \"telehealth\". Provides that a practitioner who directs an employee to perform a specified health service is held to the same standards of appropriate practice as those standards for health care services provided at an in-person setting. Requires that the telehealth medical records be created and maintained under the same standards of appropriate practice for medical records for patients in an in-person setting. Specifies that a patient waives confidentiality of medical information concerning individuals in the vicinity when the patient is using telehealth. Prohibits an employer from requiring a practitioner to provide a health care service through telehealth if the practitioner believes: (1) that health quality may be negatively impacted; or (2) the practitioner would be unable to provide the same standards of appropriate practice as those provided in an in-person setting. Provides that an applicable contract, employment agreement, or policy to provide telehealth services must explicitly provide that a practitioner may refuse at any time to provide health care services if in the practitioner's sole discretion the practitioner believes: (1) that health quality may be negatively impacted; or (2) the practitioner would be unable to provide the same standards of appropriate practice as those provided in an in-person setting. Amends requirements for a prescriber issuing a prescription to a patient via telehealth services. Requires that if a veterinarian is required to establish a veterinarian-client-patient relationship to perform a health care service, the veterinarian shall ensure that a veterinarian-client-patient relationship is established. Repeals the law concerning telepsychology. Prohibits certain insurance policies and individual and group contracts from mandating the use of certain technology applications in the provision of telehealth services."
jurisdiction: "us/states/in"
legislature: "Indiana General Assembly"
session: "2021"
identifier: "SB 3"
citation: "Indiana SB 3 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["DENTISTS AND DENTISTRY; DENTAL HYGIENISTS", "HEALTH generally", "HEALTH", "Health Care Professionals", "HEALTH", "Medical Records and Bills", "HUMAN SERVICES", "Regulation and Licensing of Professionals", "NURSES AND NURSING", "OPTOMETRISTS AND OPTOMETRY", "PHARMACISTS AND PHARMACIES", "PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS", "PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS", "PODIATRISTS AND PODIATRY", "SPEECH PATHOLOGISTS AND AUDIOLOGISTS", "TECHNOLOGY", "VETERINARIANS"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Blake Doriot", "Ed Charbonneau", "Michael Crider", "Shane Lindauer"]
version_count: 6
action_count: 35
vote_count: 1
first_action: "2021-01-07"
last_action: "2021-04-20"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/f1cb6174-4f42-4466-91f4-8b03b7e83f79"
source_url: "http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2021/bills/senate/3"
source_hash: "412795e00cf20c03fa622b7ac076fe0d8d2a4c899142b6785e18c2b3fdd9369c"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-in"]
---

# Indiana SB 3 (2021) — Telehealth matters.

Prohibits the Medicaid program from specifying originating sites and distant sites for purposes of Medicaid reimbursement. Prohibits the use of telehealth to provide any abortion, including the writing or filling of a prescription for any purpose that is intended to result in an abortion. Changes the use of the term "telemedicine" to "telehealth". Specifies certain activities that are considered to be health care services for purposes of the telehealth laws. Expands the application of the telehealth statute to additional licensed practitioners instead of applying only to prescribers. Amends the definition of "prescriber" and "telehealth". Provides that a practitioner who directs an employee to perform a specified health service is held to the same standards of appropriate practice as those standards for health care services provided at an in-person setting. Requires that the telehealth medical records be created and maintained under the same standards of appropriate practice for medical records for patients in an in-person setting. Specifies that a patient waives confidentiality of medical information concerning individuals in the vicinity when the patient is using telehealth. Prohibits an employer from requiring a practitioner to provide a health care service through telehealth if the practitioner believes: (1) that health quality may be negatively impacted; or (2) the practitioner would be unable to provide the same standards of appropriate practice as those provided in an in-person setting. Provides that an applicable contract, employment agreement, or policy to provide telehealth services must explicitly provide that a practitioner may refuse at any time to provide health care services if in the practitioner's sole discretion the practitioner believes: (1) that health quality may be negatively impacted; or (2) the practitioner would be unable to provide the same standards of appropriate practice as those provided in an in-person setting. Amends requirements for a prescriber issuing a prescription to a patient via telehealth services. Requires that if a veterinarian is required to establish a veterinarian-client-patient relationship to perform a health care service, the veterinarian shall ensure that a veterinarian-client-patient relationship is established. Repeals the law concerning telepsychology. Prohibits certain insurance policies and individual and group contracts from mandating the use of certain technology applications in the provision of telehealth services.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Engrossed Senate Bill (H)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://in-proxy.openstates.org/2021/bills/SB0003/versions/SB0003.05.ENGH)
2. **Engrossed Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://in-proxy.openstates.org/2021/bills/SB0003/versions/SB0003.03.ENGS)
3. **Enrolled Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://in-proxy.openstates.org/2021/bills/SB0003/versions/SB0003.06.ENRH)
4. **Introduced Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://in-proxy.openstates.org/2021/bills/SB0003/versions/SB0003.01.INTR)
5. **Senate Bill (H)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://in-proxy.openstates.org/2021/bills/SB0003/versions/SB0003.04.COMH)
6. **Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://in-proxy.openstates.org/2021/bills/SB0003/versions/SB0003.02.COMS)

## Votes

- SB 3 - Charbonneau - 3rd Reading — **47–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Blake Doriot — primary (person)
- Ed Charbonneau — primary (person)
- Michael Crider — primary (person)
- Shane Lindauer — primary (person)
- Andy Zay — coauthor (person)
- Brad Barrett — cosponsor (person)
- Eric Bassler — coauthor (person)
- Eric Koch — coauthor (person)
- Jon Ford — coauthor (person)
- Julie Olthoff — cosponsor (person)
- Robin Shackleford — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2021-01-07** Authored by Senator Charbonneau
- **2021-01-07** First reading: referred to Committee on Health and Provider Services `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2021-01-14** Senator Doriot added as second author
- **2021-01-14** Senator Crider added as third author
- **2021-01-14** Senator Yoder added as coauthor
- **2021-01-25** Senator Bassler added as coauthor
- **2021-01-25** Senator Ford Jon added as coauthor
- **2021-01-25** Senator Zay added as coauthor
- **2021-01-28** Committee report: amend do pass, adopted `committee-passage`
- **2021-02-01** Amendment #2 (Charbonneau) prevailed; voice vote `amendment-failure, amendment-passage`
- **2021-02-01** Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed `reading-2`
- **2021-02-02** Third reading: passed; Roll Call 36: yeas 47, nays 0 `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-02-02** House sponsor: Representative Lindauer
- **2021-02-02** Cosponsors: Representatives Barrett and Shackleford
- **2021-02-03** Referred to the House
- **2021-02-23** First reading: referred to Committee on Public Health `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2021-03-18** Committee report: amend do pass, adopted `committee-passage`
- **2021-03-29** Amendment #12 (Lindauer) prevailed; voice vote `amendment-failure, amendment-passage`
- **2021-03-29** Amendment #10 (Barrett) prevailed; voice vote `amendment-failure, amendment-passage`
- **2021-03-29** Amendment #1 (Jacob) ruled out of order `amendment-failure`
- **2021-03-29** Amendment #6 (Austin) ruled out of order `amendment-failure`
- **2021-03-29** Amendment #4 (Mayfield) prevailed; voice vote `amendment-failure, amendment-passage`
- **2021-03-29** Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed `reading-2`
- **2021-03-29** Representative Olthoff added as cosponsor
- **2021-03-30** Third reading: passed; Roll Call 324: yeas 91, nays 1 `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-03-31** Returned to the Senate with amendments `amendment-failure`
- **2021-04-01** Motion to concur filed
- **2021-04-05** Senator Koch added as coauthor
- **2021-04-05** Senator Yoder removed as coauthor
- **2021-04-05** Senate concurred in House amendments; Roll Call 340: yeas 44, nays 3 `amendment-failure`
- **2021-04-12** Signed by the President Pro Tempore
- **2021-04-13** Signed by the Speaker
- **2021-04-19** Signed by the President of the Senate
- **2021-04-20** Public Law 85
- **2021-04-20** Signed by the Governor `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/f1cb6174-4f42-4466-91f4-8b03b7e83f79`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Indiana legislature records).