NCCHC Adopts a 2025 Telehealth Position Statement — and Why On-Site Diagnostics Still Matter
The National Commission on Correctional Health Care adopted a Telehealth in Correctional Facilities position statement in December 2025, supporting telehealth when it is clinically appropriate and delivered under protocols that protect patient autonomy, confidentiality, and continuity of care by qualified, credentialed clinicians.
Telehealth expands access for many services, but a category of care still requires trained hands and calibrated instruments physically present: audiometric testing, otoscopic examination, and other in-person diagnostics cannot be performed over a video link. For those, a mobile unit that brings validated equipment into the facility fills the gap that telehealth cannot.
In a secure, in-custody setting, that means equipment configured for controlled environments, documented calibration, and clinicians operating within their scope. The service-oriented goal is straightforward: deliver the same standard of diagnostic accuracy inside the facility that a patient would receive in a community clinic. Facilities should confirm applicable standards and credentialing requirements directly with the relevant authorities.
Sources: NCCHC — Telehealth in Correctional Facilities (2025); OSHA — 29 CFR 1910.95 Occupational Noise Exposure
