Medical Licensure in Telehealth—A Possibility
Just before the 112th Congress shut down last December, California Congressman Mike Thompson introduced HR 6719—the Telehealth Promotion Act—which then immediately died in committee. But there is a good chance this bill will revive again and if so it marks an important leap for telemedicine in the US. First, it authorizes telemedicine applications under Medicare, Medicaid, CHIPS, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and both military and federal employees health benefit plans. No benefit could be excluded simply because it is accessed by telecommunications. Second, it would create licensure for telemedicine operators involving patients in these government programs. The political outcome of this probably depends on a perception that telemedicine saves more than it costs. MORE