Iowa Code vague on Telemedicine
By Brenden West, Clinton Herald, Iowa | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Half an hour later, the same doctor might see a patient in
Yet he never leaves his
Administrators at Mercy's
Physicians at
"Once you're done with one site, you're pulling up another one," said
Technology like this falls under the telemedicine umbrella and it exists throughout hundreds of
Telemedicine is viewed as a way to combat a wave of health care demand expected after passage of the Affordable Care Act. Technology has advanced in ways that connect some doctors to patients from home.
"In a perfect world, where we have specialists everywhere, we don't need things like tele-nephrology," said
In a rural state like
Like anything health related, there's a cost. Tokheim said typical hospital insurance reimbursements in psychiatry, for example, run about
"The current (telemedicine) reimbursements don't come close to covering the actual cost," he said.
And when it comes to those all-important reimbursements, Tokheim said Iowa Code is pretty vague.
That's why he has joined other professionals throughout the state to urge legislators to become more aware of the telemedicine field. They have, in part, with state Reps.
"We don't really have anything that states what professional licensure should be for telemedicine in
"The bill was written fairly broadly to look at a number of areas that would support telemedicine use in the state and would recommend how insurance companies should handle reimbursement."
Health officials aren't optimistic for legislation anytime soon. The bill is still too far up the funnel to make it onto this year's floor. Tokheim cited a shorter-than-usual session in
Getting a bill penned was the first step toward fleshing out policy by next year.
"We feel the time has come that providers and the state need to come together and start defining some things so we can at least facilitate the implementation of telemedicine faster than it's been in the past," Tokheim said.
He was among a group of
The telemedicine umbrella is growing, Eastman said, with multiple studies -- pharmaceutical, radiology, cardiology -- finding new ways to enhance patient care. By addressing Iowa Code now, he hopes the health community is heading up the issue rather than letting it grow.
"When I think of telemedicine, I think of providing better patient care," Eastman said. "Right now, it's a consciousness-building thing."
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