Dr. Watts on the role of interstate licensure in telemedicine
“The cost and the burden of being able to find permissions and licenses within different states to continue to offer these services once the waivers end will essentially negate all of these services,” says Kara L. Watts, MD.
At the 2023 American Urological Association Summit, Lisa J. Finkelstein, DO, FACOS, and Kara L. Watts, MD, presented 5 key points for urologists to discuss with legislators regarding telemedicine. The fifth point was the role of interstate licensure, which Watts discusses in this video. Watts is an associate professor of urology at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York.
Transcription:
The fifth point was the role of interstate licensure.As many people are familiar, because of the public health emergency waivers, we have been able to offer telehealth across state lines. I'm in New York, so if I speak to a patient in Connecticut or in New Jersey, one of the surrounding states, or even further, I'm still able to get reimbursed for that visit. And it doesn't require me to have a medical license in those other states at present. It is a very nuanced and challenging topic of being able to cover licensure for health care providers in different states, but it is necessary, because the cost and the burden of being able to find permissions and licenses within different states to continue to offer these services once the waivers end will essentially negate all of these services. And so it's an ongoing topic. It's an ongoing challenge and definitely important to be able to offer the services of urologists who are in demand and in limited supply to places where there are not enough of us.
This transcription was edited for clarity.
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