3 barriers to hospital telemedicine use

Reimbursement, licensure laws, security of data among issues highlighted by American Hospital Association

Federal and state regulations will have a big impact on telemedicine use in the healthcare industry, even as patients and physicians increasingly support the technology.

The issue of coverage and payment is one of the biggest hurdles telemedicine must face, according to a Trend Watch reportpublished this month by the American Hospital Association.

“Without adequate reimbursement and revenue streams, providers may face obstacles to investing in these technologies,” the authors of the report write.

In addition, the process by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to approve the services is cumbersome, they say.

Three of the other obstacles telemedicine faces, according to AHA, include:

1. State licensure laws: For healthcare professionals, especially when it comes to practicing across state lines, licensure can impede the ability to offer telemedicine services. AHA supports the Federation of State Medical Boards interstate medical licensure compact as a first step to address the challenges. However, the authors add that the compact is not perfect; one issue is the timetables states have for issuing licenses, which could extend the process.
2. Online prescribing: Physicians must be able to prescribe medications to patients treated through telehealth, but currently in most states there must be a physical evaluation of the patient before a med can be prescribed. Only 20 states allow physical examinations via telehealth tools.
3. Security concerns: Existing legal and regulatory rules surrounding privacy and security must be understood as they relate to telemedicine, the report says. Telemedicine brings even more sensitive data into the healthcare space, and that may require hospitals to update their risk analyses and privacy practices.

The AHA applauds state governments and lawmakers on Capitol Hill for their efforts to ease the issues telemedicine faces.

“As hospitals and health systems work with policymakers to adopt telehealth policies, they should remember that telehealth is a rapidly developing field, so broad policies should be adopted in order to promote future growth and innovation,” the authors add.

Source: http://ift.tt/1H0e29Q

from health IT caucus http://ift.tt/1IlOLbK
via IFTTT