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Changes, however, need to be made at the federal and state levels to make telehealth access a reality for all those who might want or need it. First, we must fix outdated licensure and practice rules for health professionals. Traditionally, health care providers are licensed on a state-by-state basis, meaning a physician licensed in my home state of Tennessee cannot practice in neighboring Arkansas. But as telehealth can safely cross borders, requiring duplicate licensure and maintaining separate practice rules in each state will only deny underserved populations access to care, leading to worse long-term health outcomes and decreased worker productivity.
Changes, however, need to be made at the federal and state levels to make telehealth access a reality for all those who might want or need it. First, we must fix outdated licensure and practice rules for health professionals. Traditionally, health care providers are licensed on a state-by-state basis, meaning a physician licensed in my home state of Tennessee cannot practice in neighboring Arkansas. But as telehealth can safely cross borders, requiring duplicate licensure and maintaining separate practice rules in each state will only deny underserved populations access to care, leading to worse long-term health outcomes and decreased worker productivity.
Although Medicare and Medicaid have begun incorporating telehealth technologies, changes to how the programs pay for these services are still needed. Medicare Advantage plans and several Medicare Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) use telehealth services. There have been several bills introduced in this Congress that would further increase the use of telemedicine, such as allowing Medicare payments for remote patient monitoring in the home (H.R. 3306), providing Medicare coverage for round-the-clock emergency support via telehealth tools (S. 1549), and expanding the use of telemedicine in the TRICARE veterans’ program (H.R. 2725). Additionally, a Senate Finance Committee working group is considering authorizing telehealth for remote monitoring of chronically ill Medicare patients as a part of legislation on chronic care policy changes in Medicare.
But the traditional Medicare program has tightly limited telemedicine payments to certain rural areas. Even in those instances, the beneficiary must already be at a clinic, making care no more convenient.Less than 1 percent of Medicare beneficiaries take advantage of telehealth technologies, despite the potential for long-term savings and improved high-quality access. In fact, a recent Towers Watson studyestimated telehealth could save employers $6 billion a year.