By Hilary Gibson, Staff Writer
As wonderful as the advent of
telemedicine is, there are still drawbacks
that people need to know about, like the
fact that many states will not allow
out-of-state physicians to practice medicine
unless they are licensed in that particular
state. The Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) have
placed restrictions on the amount given in
reimbursements for telemedicine procedures,
and many private insurance companies will
not reimburse at all for this technology,
although states such as California and
Kentucky have legislated that insurers must
reimburse the same amount for a telemedicine
procedure as they would for an actual
face-to-face consultation. There are also
underlying fears of malpractice suits for
physicians engaged in telemedicine because
there is a lack of hands-on interaction with
patients. However, several studies show that
most people who have experienced
long-distance healthcare via telemedicine
have been quite satisfied with the care they
received. There are also the technological
problems which can hamper the progress of
telemedicine, like the fact that regular
telephone lines tend to be inadequate in
handling many of the telemedical
applications. Also, many rural areas still
don’t have the cable wiring or other kinds
of high bandwidth telecommunications needed
to access the equipment required for more
sophisticated medical uses. One other
obstacle stands in the way of progress, and
that’s the issue of funding. During 2005,
the Technology Opportunity Program (TOP)
will not receive funds for
telemedicine/telehealth, and the Office
for the Advancement of Telehealth (OAT)
will not be able to fund any new programs
either. The good news is that some private
corporations and telecommunications
companies are trying to fill the financial
void created by the lack of funding.
All in all, the advantages of telemedicine
definitely outweigh its detractors, with it soon
being just another way to see a healthcare
professional. The future of telemedicine will
not only be advantageous for those in rural
communities, but will also offer people who are
homebound within metropolitan areas with a way
to access specialty care. Eventually, everyone
could have a personal diagnosis system through
their home computers, and it will monitor our
health status on a daily basis, as well as have
the ability to automatically notify a medical
professional when we become ill. Telemedicine,
telehealth, and e-health will continue to
combine the best of medicine, technology, and
telecommunications, which will help make our
lives healthier and safer.
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