Dive Brief:
- Reps. Glenn Thompson and Charles Rangel have introduced the Veterans E-Health and Telemedicine Act of 2015, which would eliminate telemedicine restrictions across state borders and allow VA health providers to practice outside of a federally-owned facility.
- Current law dictates that the VA can waive the state license requirement for treatment only if both the patient and physician are in a federally-owned facility.
- Thompson said the new act "will eliminate multiple layers of bureaucracy, allowing our veterans to have greater access to mental and behavioral health services, especially in rural areas."
Dive Insight:
Another restriction on telemedicine seems to be easing. Earlier this month, Alabama adopted the Federation of State Medical Boards Interstate Licensure Compact last week, becoming the necessary seventh state required to adopt the measure—Idaho, Montana, Utah, South Dakota, Wyoming and West Virginia are already on board. The compact would allow physicians to practice across state lines and is expected to take effect shortly, according to mHealth News.
Although other states are expected to jump on the bandwagon, physicians will still have to wait to take advantage of the compact. Now that seven states have approved the compact, the organization will form an Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission, with two commissioners from each participating state, to create bylaws for licensure. This process could take up to 12 months.