Telehealth, Net Neutrality and the Tipping Point

Telehealth is apparently reaching a critical mass where people are starting to review the potential problems of telehealth, rather than the potential opportunities.

In a MedLaw Blog post on December 6, 2017 and my related LinkedIn post, I referenced and included the link to the OIG’s audit plan, indicating OIG will begin to audit telehealth claims.  I mentioned this was a tipping point, because now obviously OIG is concerned that telehealth is being utilized too often and inappropriately.

In the December 11, 2017 edition of Modern Healthcare, Rachel Arndt mentioned that the pending repeal by FCC of the Net Neutrality Rules could generate considerable uncertainty about the telehealth industry, because throttling internet speeds with telehealth content would “deteriorate the overall quality of care, particularly in rural health areas”.

Conversely, the American Telemedicine Association recently stated: “The truth is, nobody knowns what the future will hold in the post net-neutrality world.”

Finally, I am attaching a link to an article I did for the Allegheny County Medical Society on the evolution of telehealth law, to provide some historical perspective regarding the growth of telehealth in the last 20 years.

https://www.medlawblog.com/2017/12/articles/uncategorized/telehealth-reaches-tipping-point-now-included-in-oig-audit-plan/