Originally Published MEM Fall 2004
FROM THE EDITOR
TELEMEDICINE has been around for more than 30 years. In concert with the Internet, wireless technology advancements would seem to be the key to a telemedicine revolution. Not so. A recent government report highlights the obstacles still standing in the way of real progress. "A framework for determining reimbursement coverage of telehealth applications that is more reflective of technology's impact on access, quality, and cost considerations is needed," it says. The Dept. of Commerce Office of Technology Policy released the report, "Innovation, Demand, and Investment in Telehealth," in February 2004.
Obtaining reimbursement is a burden for any device manufacturer, but the report notes that it is particularly difficult for telemedicine providers. "The telehealth community has been generally unsuccessful in persuading Medicare to reimburse many of its applications," it says. The recently announced new process for requesting Medicare coverage "may have little effect until or unless the stakeholder community can provide the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Congress with compelling evidence of telehealth's value."
Interoperability issues, the report says, are also much more challenging for the healthcare industry than for other industries, especially when considering that health and life are affected.
The report also notes that other nations are much farther ahead of the United States in acceptance and implementation of telehealth systems. RTX Healthcare (Copenhagen, Denmark) established a U.S. subsidiary this year to expand into the U.S. market. In August, the company received FDA clearance for its Wireless Telehealth Gateway. According to Chris Tubis, president and CEO, the system is the first and only FDA-approved wireless connectivity device for remote patient monitoring.
The Gateway is a Bluetooth-based system designed for home use, but it must be prescribed by a physician. It transmits selected medical information—such as weight, blood pressure, or blood glucose levels—over a telephone line directly to a healthcare facility. The device itself is not connected to or operated by the patient. Rather, the device stores the information, generates a call, and conveys the data to a remote facility.
It is yet to be seen whether this is a turning point for telemedicine. Now that FDA has approved one system, perhaps CMS and other payers will reconsider reimbursement. But, without standards that make telehealth technologies that enable interoperability, physicians are unlikely to embrace telemedicine, the report says. With reimbursement and compatibility issues still looming large, it will fall to the developers and other stakeholders to find workable solutions if there are to be more FDA-approved systems.
Sherrie Conroy, Editor
Copyright ©2004 Medical Electronics Manufacturing
