The federal government must adopt one definition...

The federal government must adopt one definition of telehealth and eliminate cross-state licensing and payment issues hindering the expansion of telehealth, said the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) in a report released Monday (http://bit.ly/1jjCrYJ). Healthcare is “thoroughly regulated, largely at the state level,” the report said. “Because states are often reluctant to give up regulatory authority, even when their regulations favor producers over consumers and limit nationwide innovation, federal government interventions are necessary.” Lawmakers heard a similar message -- which has become a common refrain for many in the tech industry and medical community -- during a recent hearing on the issue (CD May 2 p8). The Food and Drug Administration also updated its health information technology (IT) framework to clarify its definitions of health IT devices. But the ITIF report recommended Congress go further, by passing two pending bills -- the Telehealth Modernization Act of 2013 (HR-3750) and the TELE-MED Act (HR-3077). The former would define telehealth “to include health care delivered by real-time video, secure chat, secure email, or telephone,” while the latter “would allow Medicare providers licensed in one state to provide services to Medicare beneficiaries in another,” according to the report.