TELE-MED Act Aims To Eliminate Licensure Hurdles
By Katie Wike, contributing writer
Proposed bill would allow doctors to electronically treat patients across state lines without multiple licenses
The TELE-MED Act of 2013, a bill recently introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives and referred to Committee, would drastically change the face of telemedicine should it pass. The bill aims “To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to permit certain Medicare providers licensed in a State to provide telemedicine services to certain Medicare beneficiaries in a different State.”
According to News-Medical, Congressmen Devin Nunes (R-CA) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ) introduced the bill which “updates the law to account for rapid technological advances in medicine," according to Nunes. "By reducing bureaucratic and legal barriers between Medicare patients and their doctors, it expands medical access and choice for America's seniors and the disabled.”
Joel White, Executive Director of the Health IT Now Coalition and a supporter of the bill, “believes the TELE-MED Act is essential for promoting the benefits of telemedicine, including lower costs and improved outcomes,” according to News-Medical.
“Currently, the benefits of telemedicine are limited by an antiquated system of licensure laws that hinders the practice of medicine across state lines,” said White. “That means that qualified and credentialed physicians must jump through hoops and hurdles before they can treat patients remotely. Limiting the number of doctors available in any one state to treat Medicare beneficiaries - who, due to disease, transportation or mobility issues, are often not able to travel long distances to receive the care they need - not only decreases access to care, but also increases costs and harms patient outcomes.”
White noted a national telemedicine framework for members of the Department of Defense and Veterans Administration has already been implemented and the Nunes-Pallone bill could do the same thing for Medicare beneficiaries.
American Telemedicine Association CEO Jonathan Linkous said in a public statement, “We urge Congress to expand this licensure model for telemedicine to other federal agencies and health benefit programs. Patients should all be able to receive the best and most convenient care available, regardless of geographic location." “Technology makes it increasingly easy for patients to receive the 21st century care they need and want, wherever the physician or other professional is located.”
Despite the enthusiasm exhibited by the telemedicine community, GovTrack five the bill a 4 percent chance of getting past committee and a 1 percent chance of being enacted. This compares to only 11 percent of bills making it past committee and only about 3 percent enacted in 2011–2013.