Interstate licensure for telehealth can fuel medical practice growth

<p>"When it comes to using telehealth to treat patients out of state, most physicians are mindful about licensure issues. But some are not aware that if you don’t have a license to practice medicine in a given state, it isn’t just malpractice: It’s a criminal offense.</p> <p>Licensing restrictions have been eased to facilitate care during the pandemic, and the new normal of greater state-to-state cooperation for access to care may persist after the pandemic. Still, the savvy physician knows that many restrictions apply and that understanding them reduces risk.</p> <p>When we talk about interstate licensure, we’re not concerned with a one-time interaction with an established patient who happens to be traveling. For instance, say a physician has recently seen a patient, perhaps performed a procedure. Thereafter, the patient calls the physician with a question or a problem from another state while traveling. In such a case, the physician can simply address the patient’s concerns, whether that’s by a phone conversation, a telemedicine visit, a recommendation to go to the emergency room where they are, or whatever is appropriate, according to their best clinical judgment. That’s just practicing good medicine."</p> <p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-l-feldman-ba49ab11/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">David L. Feldman</a> is chief medical officer, <a href= "https://www.thedoctors.com/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener nofollow noreferrer">The Doctors Company</a>.</p> <p>He shares his story and discusses the KevinMD article, "<a href= "https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/10/interstate-licensure-for-telehealth-can-fuel-medical-practice-growth.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Interstate licensure for telehealth can fuel medical practice growth</a>." (<a href= "https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/10/interstate-licensure-for-telehealth-can-fuel-medical-practice-growth.html">https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/10/interstate-licensure-for-telehealth-can-fuel-medical-practice-growth.html</a>)</p>