Tele Medicine

Use of telemedicine growing.
American Medical News (11/22, Krupa) reports, "Nationwide, telemedicine increasingly is being used to bridge gaps in access to care in rural and other medically underserved communities that have a hard time recruiting physicians." For instance, "140 of 153 VA hospitals nationwide have telemedicine capabilities," and "such consults reduce patient transfers, allow local doctors to respond more quickly to their patients' needs, and save patients time and money by eliminating the need to take off work or school to travel long distances for care." Notably, CMS "is making changes to promote telemedicine. In June, the agency proposed new policies that would make it easier for hospital officials to credential physicians who provide telemedicine services at their facilities," and next year, "CMS will expand Medicaid coverage for remote services, including disease management training for patients with diabetes or kidney disease."