A proposed rule change in Tennessee would mandate in-person physician visits both precede and supplement telemedicine consults.
The new rule would require a face-to-face visit with a physician before telemedicine services could be rendered to any patient in the state and would also require patients to meet with the physician in-person either annually thereafter or after every fourth telemedicine consult, whichever comes first.
If the rule is adopted, Tennessee will also stop issuing special "telemedicine licenses," instead requiring all physicians practicing telemedicine in the state to have full licenses. The rule would also prohibit physicians from prescribing controlled substances via telemedicine.
Supporters of the proposed rule say it will help the state's patients establish important primary care relationships. "We want every patient in the state to say, 'I have a primary care doctor,' and that their initial access is through the primary care provider," Vaughn Frigon, CMO at TennCare, the state's Medicaid managed care program, told The Tennessean.
However, critics say the more restrictive rule will hurt patients in rural locations for whom distance prohibits frequent in-person care visits. "We think it would lead to a reduction of healthcare," Susan Veale, spokesperson for the Rural Health Association of Tennessee, said at a public hearing, according to the Nashville Post.
More Articles on Telemedicine:
Reaching the Maximum Potential of Health IT: 5 Key Observations
Telehealth: Physician Extender of the Future
82% of Young Adults Would Prefer Telehealth to In-Person Visit