PAMED Advocacy Priorities
Telemedicine
The Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED) recognizes the shift in technology usage during the COVID-19 pandemic and the benefit telemedicine played which enabled patients to continue their care.
PAMED continues to work in collaboration with stakeholders to identify standards of coverage, licensure requirements and mandated payments when treating patients via telemedicine.
Key Items:
- Used effectively, and without onerous insurance requirements, telemedicine can improve access to care and improve health outcomes, especially for post-surgical patients.
- While telemedicine is currently being used in Pennsylvania, there is clear need for a statutory framework under which telemedicine can continue to evolve.
- Through the use of telemedicine, specialists and other health care providers are able to expand their reach among high risk and stay-in-home patients. It would also allow rural patients the ability to stay in their communities, avoiding long distance travel for specialized care.
- Geography, weather, availability of specialists, and transportation all play a role in preventing people from seeing a physician. Telemedicine can break down those barriers, especially for the thousands of Pennsylvanians living in rural and underserved areas.
- Because of the pandemic, we have also seen an increased demand for mental health and counseling services. Whether it’s school age children suffering disruptions in their education to elderly dealing with acute loneliness and isolation, telemedicine has been a huge advantage for reaching these individuals, especially during the pandemic.