Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Telemedicine Legislative Watch

House Resolution 2068: Medicare Telehealth Enhancement Act,
This bill will expand mediciare reimbursement to urban and suburban area. Currently telemedicine reimbursement is limited to rural areas, which essentially excludes 80% of the population.

Telemedicine has been shown to increase access to healthcare. This is especially important given the current physician shortage. Used effectively, telemedicine can improve efficiency and reduce costs. It also has the potential to improve quality, especially in reducing re-admissions, avoiding needless emergency room visits and inpatient admissions. This bill may actually help in making telemedicine more mainstream.

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