Tennessee regulators are proposing that a patient who uses telemedicine first must have an in-person visit with the physician on the other end of the line. The purported reason is to ensure use of a primary care doctor and building a solid relationship, but the rule would greatly frustrate the ability of telemedicine to provide better and more convenient access to patients and would raise costs.
The Healthy Skeptic is a website about the health care system, and is written by Kevin Roche, who has many years of experience working in the health industry. Mr. Roche is available to assist health care companies through consulting arrangements through Roche Consulting, LLC and may be reached at khroche@healthy-skeptic.com.