Texas News

ARTICLE

Date ArticleType
10/17/2016 TAB

TAB's Daily Message for Oct. 17, Access to Care

Thanks to the Houston Chronicle for seeing the value of telemedicine for all Texans. 

Bill Hammond
CEO

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/Care-from-afar-9974928.php

Care from afar
Telemedicine could be a boon to all Texans. 


The days of doctor's house visits are long gone, but 24/7 virtual house visits are now possible through telemedicine.

Unfortunately, the current rules in Texas make securing a diagnosis through telemedicine almost as inconvenient as jumping through the hoops to see a doctor in person. The Texas Medical Board, which regulates Texas physicians, needs to bring its rules in line with best practices nationwide.

Right now, say your baby screams with an earache in the middle of the night for the first time. The current rules - which are being litigated - require a parent to travel to an appropriate medical facility and be in the presence of a nurse or other licensed health professional, before the parent is able to contact a physician remotely.

Not only does this level of regulation defeat the purpose of telemedicine, according to the nonprofit American Telemedicine Association, but it's also unusual. In most states, a parent participating in a telemedicine program could secure a diagnosis for a common condition from a physician without leaving home.

Access to 24/7 care for common conditions would be a boon to all of us, but particularly to residents of 35 rural counties that in a recent study were reported to have no physicians. Many of Texas' poorest residents have trouble finding doctors who will accept Medicaid patients and then have to wait unreasonably long times before they can see a physician.

A robust telemedicine physician option would cut down unnecessary trips to the emergency rooms. In the Houston area alone, 40 percent of visits were for problems related to primary care, according to a 2011 study.

Emergency room overuse is driving up health care spending and threatening the quality of services for patients dealing with true medical emergencies. On average a telemedicine consult represents a savings of 95 percent over a trip to the emergency room and 72 percent over a trip to an urgent care center for similar issues, according to a study cited in a report by the non-profit Texas Association of Business

Although there are advantages to telemedicine, the board should take care not to give telemedicine providers too much leeway, lest remote services become a cover for second-rate treatment for Texas' most vulnerable residents.

However, two successful telemedicine programs already operate in Texas. For years, the University of Texas Medical Branch has remotely supported scientists and others on the continent of Antarctica. UTMB acquired its expertise in telemedicine through providing care to prisoners in the Texas prison system.

Texas can and should act to promote the telehealth of all its citizens.