Can Telemedicine Be Legislated?

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

Florida lawmakers are leading a push for increased use of and payment for telemedicine

According to FierceHealthIT, Florida state representatives Cary Pigman (R-Avon Park) and Mia Jones (D-Jacksonville) plan to co-sponsor a bill that would require both Medicaid and private insurers in Florida to reimburse providers for telemedicine care. Currently, 21 states have such legislation.

Pigman - an emergency physician and Lt. Colonel who recently completed a tour in Northern Iraq - told The Florida Times-Union, “So much of what we do in healthcare is directed toward rescue. This would enable (physicians) to do more maintenance and preservation.” The Times notes not only will physicians’ benefit, patients will as well. “Toree Malasanos, a pediatric endocrinologist who is director of the Florida Initiative in Telehealth and Education at the University of Florida, said that using telemedicine techniques to treat kids with diabetes at a clinic in Daytona Beach had resulted in a 70 percent drop in emergency room visits and an 88 percent decrease in hospitalizations.”

Jeff Wacksman, practice operations director for Mobile Physician Services which provides in-home visits to homebound patients, told the Florida Times-Union, “Providing new ways for such people to access health care could save a lot of money. In fact, if the law were changed to allow homebound patients anywhere in the state to be treated in their homes using telemedicine approaches, the state could save billions.”

A similar bill which, according to the Orlando Sentinel  “would boost the use of telemedicine, including preventing health insurers from requiring face-to-face visits between doctors and patients if services can be provided through video conferencing or similar technology,” was proposed by Senator Arthenia Joyner earlier this month. The Sentinel further reports, “If passed, the health-insurance requirement would take effect in January 2015, and the bill also proposes a similar requirement for the Medicaid program.”

Florida is not alone is championing telemedicine. According to FierceHealthIT:

• A Michigan state representative is calling for greater use of telehealth in a letter to the editor
• BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina and BlueChoice HealthPlan of South Carolina announced that they will pay for remote care in three specialties: high-risk pregnancies, stroke and psychiatry.
• In Oklahoma, reimbursements from the state's Universal Service Fund have soared as hospitals add telemedicine services.