Florida seeks to regulate, expand telemedicine

Florida legislators are considering a Senate bill that would increase the use of telemedicine and establish requirements for health providers who treat patients remotely.

This legislation would require physicians providing telemedicine services to be licensed in the state. Also, it would require Medicaid to reimburse for such services and allow physicians to negotiate payment rates with insurers.

Companion legislation also is circulating in the House, but it would not require physicians to have a Florida license—but that they must be licensed in their home state and registered in Florida.

"If we didn't have an access problem we wouldn't be here today ... everyone would rather see the doctor face to face, but when your mother is having a stroke in rural Florida the choice is having a doctor via telehealth versus having no doctor," said Rep. Cary Pigman, an emergency room physician who supports the bill, according to the Washington Times.

The Florida Medical Association (FMA) strongly opposes legislation that would allow physicians without a state license to practice telemedicine in Florida.

“Florida patients are strongly opposed, as is the FMA, to allowing out of state physicians and practitioners who are not licensed in Florida to not only practice telemedicine, but to prescribe drugs and controlled substances over the internet,” said Timothy J. Stapleton, executive vice president of the FMA. “The FMA supports the use of telemedicine and will work tirelessly to ensure that high standards, protections against fraud, and patient privacy are addressed in any legislation.”