MAY 1998 PRESS RELEASE
California Telemedicine: A Reimbursement Dilemma
Jacksonville, OR (May 7, 1998): What would happen if a state law was passed, but the individuals affected by the law were never adequately notified? This isn’t as surprising as one might think because official notification procedures don’t always accompany legislative changes. Most often, non-governmental entities such as trade organizations distribute information about new laws to appropriate industry groups.
In the case of the Telemedicine Development Act of 1996, the goal was to remove reimbursement barriers so that physicians could be paid for their teleconsultation services. As of early 1998, however, no claims had been filed for telemedicine reimbursement. Factors contributing to slow implementation range from bureaucratic impediments to a lack of responsiveness by health plan policymakers. Several questions need answers in order to identify the problems: Are health care providers submitting any claims? Have third-party payers been made aware of the new law? If not, what would encourage these companies to establish reimbursement policies? Maybe fee-for-service reimbursement for telemedicine (as described in the new law) is irrelevant, since California is dominated by managed care...
California Telemedicine: A Reimbursement Dilemma is a new report now available from Feedback Research Services. Answers are provided to these questions, based on commentary gathered from individuals in government, industry, provider, and trade organizations.
Published reports from Feedback Research Services focus on clinical and market factors that influence the sale of telemedicine and telephone triage systems. To keep readers knowledgeable about the latest developments, each report is updated once yearly to confirm or revise previously published information. Feedback Research Services publishes reports that analyze emergent health care markets. For information about current titles, visit: Market Reports
