Telestroke programs have been shown to be beneficial both to hospitals and the community as a whole. However, several barriers currently exist that have prevented healthcare organizations from adopting these programs as quickly as expected, according to a study in Telemedicine and e-Health.
These barriers include:
- Licensing restrictions: Because telestroke programs often involve physicians treating patients in different geographical locations, states’ licensing policies can prevent physicians from participating in a telestroke program. Only 10 states currently have special licenses that allow physicians originally licensed outside the state to practice telemedicine, including telestroke, within it.
- Reimbursements: According to a recent survey of telestroke service providers in eight states cited within the study, only about a third of remote hospitals receive reimbursement for a neurologist’s on-call telestroke time, and another third of remote hospitals are not reimbursed for telestroke services at all. Reimbursement uncertainties can keep both physicians and hospitals from participating in telestroke programs.
- Liability: There are still unresolved questions about physicians’ liabilities when practicing on patients remotely, especially when they practice across state lines. Currently only two states, Montana and Colorado, directly address the issue of liability in their telemedicine policies, leaving many providers in other areas wary of the legal ramifications of telestroke programs.
More Articles on Telestroke Programs:
Mayo Clinic: How Telestroke Care Is Cost-Saving to Society
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Collaborates With Mayo Clinic for Telestroke Program
How OSU's Telestroke Robots Are Improving Rural Stoke Care