Rural Health Care, Reimbursement for Telemedicine

By creating ready access to information, telemedicine can provide rural physicians with current medical information that may not be available in an isolated setting. The AAFP believes that reimbursement should be made for physician services that are reasonable and necessary, safe and effective, medically appropriate and provided in accordance with accepted standards of medical practice. The technology used to deliver the services should not be the primary consideration; the critical test is whether the service is medically reasonable and necessary. Care provided via telemedicine should be reimbursed as other physician services. A record of telemedicine interactions must be created that becomes part of the patient's medical record. (1994) (2005)