By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    improving patient experience
    6 Ways to Improve Patient Satisfaction Within Hospitals
    December 1, 2021
    degree for healthcare job
    What Are The Health Benefits Of Having A Degree?
    March 9, 2022
    custom software development is changing healthcare
    Digital Customer Journey Mapping and its Importance for Healthcare
    July 21, 2022
    Latest News
    Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
    May 16, 2025
    Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
    May 16, 2025
    Choosing the Right Supplement Manufacturer for Your Brand
    May 1, 2025
    Engineering Temporary Hospitals for Extreme Weather
    April 24, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Can Thinking Younger Make You Live Longer?
    April 20, 2011
    Image
    Obesity’s Outlook Unchanged
    June 13, 2011
    When It’s An Emergency Elderly Not Treated As Well in Hospitals
    July 16, 2011
    Latest News
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
    The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
    May 14, 2025
    The Backbone of Successful Trials: Clinical Data Management
    April 28, 2025
    Advancing Your Healthcare Career through Education and Specialization
    April 16, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Telemedicine in North Carolina
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Telemedicine in North Carolina
eHealthPolicy & Law

Telemedicine in North Carolina

rdowney14
Last updated: August 14, 2012 4:01 pm
rdowney14
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE

I have been very impressed with the work the Center for Telehealth & e-Health Law (CTeL) has been doing to educate people about telemedicine.

I have been very impressed with the work the Center for Telehealth & e-Health Law (CTeL) has been doing to educate people about telemedicine.

Greg Billings at CTeL keeps people informed of the latest happenings that affect the world of telemedicine. For example, he posted a note over the weekend on the North Carolina Medical Board and how it views telemedicine by its licensees.  Here’s the link to his note. I had the opportunity to speak to the North Carolina Board about five years ago when I worked for the Arizona Medical Board, and I have a great deal of respect for the work that agency does.  It didn’t surprise me that the North Carolina Board is being proactive on the topic.

Dr. Scott Kirby, the board’s medical director, said that licensees need to exercise caution in selecting a telemedicine provider before agreeing to see and treat patients via telemedicine.  In this regard, I believe Dr. Kirby is referring to the relatively new Internet business models that connect patients with licensed physicians, often at odd times of the night or on weekends, by telephone or via videoconrerence.  I think that it’s always good to be careful to make sure that down the line your licensing agency doesn’t hold you accountable for unprofessional conduct.

More Read

Bioethics Commission Calls for More Communication, Proactivity When Dealing with Incidental Findings
Understanding The Threat Posed By Healthcare Data Hackers
The Iceberg Waiting for Your Health Care Data
Beyond the Buzz: Key Trends in Healthcare Social Media
The Real Value of Networks Lies Within the Community

Dr. Kirby  points out that physicians must do an appropriate examination BEFORE diagnosing or treating a patient they’ve never before seen.  This examination cannot be the illegal Internet prescribing sort (the kind where the patient fills out an online questionnaire, does live-chat with a physician, and then purchases an over-priced prescription for an erectile dysfunction drug), but must be “substantially equivalent”  to an in-person exam.  Although he leaves it up to licensees to decide how to conduct a substantially equivalent exam with a patient at a remote location, this can be done with a patient “presenter” at the patient’s location.  The presenter, a lower level licensed healthcare professional, understands he or she is the “hands” of the physician in the event palpation is required.  With proper training, the presenter can help the doctor understand the patient’s condition or problem.  The doctor could then decide to treat the patient and/or to schedule an in-person appointment for further evaluation.

The other condition to establish the doctor-patient relationship, per Dr. Kirby, is appropriate follow-up care.  The telemedicine visit should not be a “one-off” event because the physician now has the responsibility to see that his treatment plan for the patient is working… or not.  If it isn’t, then the doctor should modify the treatment plan.  Then, should the doctor’s modified treatment plans fail to help the patient, ethically he must refer the patient to another physician.

Dr. Kirby says the other requirement for a diagnosis via telemedicine is to take a complete medical record which “must be available to the patient and to other treating health care providers.”  So telemedicine doesn’t relieve a physician of the paperwork associated with in-person visits.  In fact, it’s probably more crucial to the doctor to make sure what is said is documented during the telemedicine visit or soon after and not trust your memory several days later.  Normally, medical boards will tell physicians accused of falling below the standard of care that if it isn’t in the record, it didn’t happen, no matter how sure a doctor is that it was discussed and the patient understood.

Of course, GlobalMed understands what it takes to put together a good telemedicine program, whether at the practitioner level or at the hospital level.  Our advice is always free.

 

TAGGED:telemedicine
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Clinical Expertise
Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
Health care
May 18, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Health
May 15, 2025
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Health
May 15, 2025
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction heart treatment
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction
Cardiology
May 13, 2025

You Might also Like

Diabetes Doubles Risk of Dementia, Alzheimer’s

November 10, 2011

WHO Needs a Replenishment

May 20, 2011
Health Reform

Primary Care Reimbursement

September 9, 2011
Medical EthicsPublic Health

Lessons For Understanding The Cord Blood Transplant Process

May 22, 2020
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?