By Giulia Block, J.D., Chief Legal Officer and Head of Government Affairs, Access TeleCare
A hospital may have the team and facilities to care for a patient but need a specialist’s input to make the next clinical decision. Telemedicine brings that expertise into the hospital, helping local clinicians deliver timely care and, when appropriate, keep patients close to home.
Access TeleCare has joined ATA Action’s Cross-State Care Coalition as a founding member to advocate for policies that support cross-state clinical practice. The Coalition brings together health systems, provider organizations, and virtual care leaders to advance targeted, bipartisan legislation that reduces unnecessary licensure barriers that impede telemedicine practice.
At Access TeleCare, we deploy specialty telemedicine programs to meet the needs of each hospital and its onsite team. Our clinicians support care in areas including neurology, behavioral health, and critical care. Making that coverage reliable takes clinical integration and careful attention to licensure, credentialing, and hospital privileges.
We have worked for years to streamline multistate licensure for our physicians while meeting the requirements of the states and hospitals where they practice. That experience has shown us how much work goes into establishing coverage across state lines. It has also shown us what hospitals and patients gain when specialty expertise is available where care is already being delivered.
The Coalition is focused on situations where state-by-state requirements can interrupt appropriate care or delay access to clinical expertise. Its priorities include virtual specialty care, follow-up with an established clinician, second opinions, and rare or complex care. I look forward to bringing Access TeleCare’s experience to the Coalition as it develops policy that reflects the incredible impact of virtual care at eliminating geographic barriers to timely care so that more patients receive the care they need.
