The Senate yesterday passed and sent to Governor Tom Wolf a bill that promotes telemedicine, but Wolf has promised to veto it because of a House amendment prohibiting doctors using the practice from prescribing drugs that induce abortion.
The bill’s sponsor, Senator Elder Vogel, enjoyed bipartisan support for the measure until the House amendment, which sparked a debate that spilled over onto the floor of the Senate yesterday.
Among those who championed the bill was Senator Joe Pittman, who said it’s his belief that all lives matter, including the lives of the unborn. Pittman said the bill does not change current medical policy in Pennsylvania.
The bill specifically defines telemedicine as “the delivery of health care services provided through telecommunications technology to a patient by a healthcare practitioner who is at a different location.” It also establishes guidelines regarding who can provide telemedicine services, and provides clarity regarding insurance company reimbursement for those services. While it makes substantial changes in the health care industry, physicians and other health practitioners would still be required to follow standard state licensure and medical practice laws and requirements in Pennsylvania.
Vogel introduced the bill several years ago, before the Covid-19 crisis. The telemedicine bill is seen as a tremendous benefit for rural hospitals such as the Indiana Regional Medical Center.
Comments