July 17, 2018 – Removing Barriers

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Anchor lead: Can a physician see anyone via telemedicine? Elizabeth Tracey reports

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has just released a proposed funding change that would help expand physician services delivered by telemedicine. Advocates hail this as a great boon for patients, who may struggle to come to in-office visits. Yet a big barrier remains. Redonda Miller, president of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, says the issue of physician licensure must be considered.

Miller: If you are a physician and treat a patient who lives in another state, you may not be licensed in that state. As a physician are you supposed to have 49 other licenses other than your home state? With this recent legislative session Maryland has agreed to be part of the interstate medical licensure compact. This is a compact among 23 states now that agree to recognize licensure amongst each other. If you are a physician licensed in one of the states that license is recognized in the other 22.   :32

Miller looks forward to more progress in removing barriers to full telemedicine implementation. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.