POLICY FORUM Interstate Licensure for Telemedicine: The Time Has Come

Telemedicine is the use of technology to provide health care services when the physician and patient are not in the same location. One of the advantages of telemedicine is its ability to provide virtual care in a location where there may be a shortage of qualified health professionals and specialists. Most telemedicine-related policies are established at the state level. Each state sets its own policies for a variety of matters that impact telemedicine, such as Medicaid programs, private insurers ’ business practices, privacy and data security, and medical licensing. What might be recognized and reimbursed in one state could turn out to be nonreimbursable or even illegal in another. Furthermore, clinicians must be licensed by the state in which their telemedicine patient is receiving care [1]. Requiring that physicians be licensed in the state where a given patient lives greatly limits the main advantage of telemedicine. This article will examine the licensing issue in relation to telemedicine and how these policies may need to change in the future. Licensing Today Cross-state licensure is one of the top barriers to the expanded use of telemedicin