The American Medical Association (AMA) voted on Wednesday to adopt a list of guiding principles for ensuring the appropriate coverage and payment for telemedicine services.
These principles, which stem from a policy report developed by the AMA's Council on Medical Service that addressed coverage and payment for telemedicine, aim to help foster innovation in the use of telemedicine, protect the patient-physician relationship, and promote improved care coordination and communication with medical homes, according to AMA.
In addition to providing background on the delivery of telemedicine, the report outlined current coverage and telemedicine payment rules, gave a summary of specialty society practice guidelines and a position statement on telemedicine, and provided case studies, AMA said.
Telemedicine can strengthen the patient-physician relationship and improve access for patients to receive care remotely as medically appropriate, including treatment for chronic conditions, which are proven ways to improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs, Dr. Ronald Wah, incoming AMA president, said in a statement.
