Telemedicine - Fad or
the Future of Healthcare?
March 17th

1:00-2:30pm ET / 12:00-1:30pm CT / 11:00am-12:30pm MT/ 10:00-11:30am PT

 

Moderator:
Cynthia Marcotte Stamer, Stamer Chadwick Soefje, PLLC, Plano, Texas

Speakers:
Nora Belcher, Executive Director, Texas e-Health Alliance, Austin, TX
Gary Capistrant, Chief Policy Officer, American Telemedicine Association, Washington, DC
Virginia Alverson Mimmack, Jackson Walker LLP, Dallas, TX
Elle Ross, Legislative Counsel, Congressman Pete Sessions Office, Washington, DC 

Telemedicine fans continue to tout "telemedicine" and other health care services delivered remotely, via the telephone or internet, to employer and other health benefit program sponsors and payers as cost-effective and convenient alternatives to traditional face-to-face examinations or consultations by physicians. To make knowledgeable decisions about when and what telemedicine benefits to offer, employer and other plan sponsors should understand differences between telemedicine services, how key legal and operational considerations shape telemedicine services and offerings, and other key considerations that commonly impact the nature, quality, and value of various telemedicine and other remote care services. This webinar will explore what telemedicine is, federal and state health and insurance regulatory and enforcement practices that previously have restricted the availability of telemedicine services, how the Affordable Care Act and other changes in some states' telemedicine regulation and enforcement practices are paving the way for expanded use of telemedicine in some, but not all, states and how these regulatory and other key legal and operational considerations impact the telemedicine and other remote care services offered to plan participants, employer and other plan sponsor decisions about when to cover telemedicine and other remote care, and their credentialing and contracting for these services. Our expert panel also will discuss why employers are turning to telemedicine, including via mobile medical smartphone "apps", as a means of offering care to their employees, including what employee populations can benefit from such technology and what potential HIPAA privacy and other perils and responsibilities employers, plan fiduciaries, and health insurers must address when selecting, contracting for, implementing, and using these and other telemedicine services and tools in connection with their health benefit programs.