Telehealth wasn’t new to Arizona when the pandemic began, but the past year has propelled it into the mainstream.

Fido can now get flea treatment by phone. Or at least the prescription for it.

Legislators are seeking to expand telemedicine in Arizona, but rural and tribal communities that need it most might still not be able to access it without broadband Internet.

Arizona is a pioneer in telemedicine. The first program, the Arizona Telemedicine Program at the University of Arizona, was founded in 1995 by former state Sen. Bob Burns, currently a commissioner on the Arizona Corporation Commission, and Dr. Ronald Weinstein at the University of Arizona.

Medicare will no longer cover telemedicine in Cochise County and 96 other U.S. counties because they are now considered urban areas, instead of rural ones. Because of the realignment of standard metropolitan statistical areas, about 1 million Medicare beneficiaries located in rural areas across the country will be affected, many who have been receiving healthcare with the help of telemedicine.

To Dr. Ronald S. Weinstein, a doctor's eyes and ears are as important as instruments or tests. A patient's tone and body language can say as much as his or her words, he said, and eye contact and seeing that a doctor is paying attention establishes trust for the patient. But that doesn't necessarily mean that doctor and patient have to be in the same place, said Weinstein, director of the University of Arizona College of Medicine's Arizona Telemedicine Program.