Professor Barak D. Richman, the Alexander Hamilton Professor of Business Law was published on JAMA Network, authoring the piece “State Medical Boards and Interstate Telemedicine in the Courtroom.”
Richman argues for access to cross-state telehealth. Through his opinion, Richman provides direct examples of the changes in the healthcare system through the advancements of technology as well as global events (COVID-19). Additionally, he highlights the importance of telehealth, and showcases the inconsistencies in care by state at a state and global level, even though the requirements of medical credentialing are uniform across the nation.
Not only does Richman point out the changes, and the positives for telehealth, he offers a few solutions to how we can see real change in laws, “A wiser approach for state medical boards would be to accede to common sense. Instead of requiring every out-of-state physician who communicates with in-state residents to acquire an in-state license, medical boards should pursue reforms that streamline access to care. One pathway is to allow all licensed physicians, regardless of their home state, to provide certain categories of telehealth, such as follow-up care or specialized consultations.8 Alternatively, states could set up simple registration systems, like Florida and Arizona, which allow out-of-state physicians to provide certain telehealth services after completing a rudimentary certification. Importantly, out-of-state physicians would still be subject to the scope-of-practice laws of the state in which the patient resides, just as out-of-state drivers are subject to state-specific speed limits.”
Professor Barak Richman is part of GW Law’s Health Law and Policy Program. GW Health Law leads the way in Health Law and Policy while offering students and professors access to Washington D.C.’s incomparable setting for one of the fastest-growing legal practice areas. Studying health law and policy at GW offers valuable windows into the complex structure of the federal regulatory process, the relationships between federal and state health system regulation, and the relationship between federal regulation and industry stakeholders.
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