Mass. telemedicine physicians urged to get state license

Physicians who provide telemedicine services in Massachusetts should be licensed by the state, especially because they’re diagnosing patients without doing so in person, a lawyer for the Massachusetts Medical Society said. “When you’re talking about diagnosis, that’s a really critical area,” Bill Ryder, the group’s legislative and regulatory counsel, told the state Division of Insurance yesterday. “Anybody who does that should have a full license in Massachusetts.”

Last year the state Legislature passed a law that defines telemedicine as the use of interactive audio, video, or other electronic media—except telephone, fax, or email—for the purpose of diagnosis, consultation or treatment. Lawmakers left it to the Division of Insurance and the Board of Registration in Medicine to submit a report with recommendations for legislation to permit the use of out-of-state physicians for telemedicine. Before the agencies do that, they want to gather feedback from the medical community, insurers, and other stakeholders.