Debate on telemedicine bill begins

Friday, 27 June 2008 02:37
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan - Variety News Staff

THE substitute version of the telemedicine bill, which is scheduled to be heard publicly today, has sparked opposition from the medical community and stakeholders in healthcare.

The original version of Bill 245, authored by Sens. BJ Cruz and Rory Respicio, proposed to waive the licensing requirement for physicians who will provide cross-state medical consultation services to Guam patients via Internet-based telemedicine.

The substitute version, drafted by Sen. Frank Blas Jr.'s health committee, is the opposite of the original bill as it requires off-island physicians to obtain a Guam medical license.

"I'm not a lawyer but my initial impression is that this bill will serve as a major obstacle to our providing telemedicine services to Guam," said Dr. Spencer Koerner, medical director of the Center for International Health & Telemedicine at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, a partner of Guam Memorial Hospital.

"The initial part requiring application for a special license is probably a non-starter. First of all we may not know exactly which physician will be asked to do a teleconsult and, furthermore, no one will subject themselves to Guam jurisdiction if they do these consults," Koerner said.

But Blas defended the committee's version of the bill, saying it is patterned after the model legislation suggested by the Health Law Resource Center and consistent with the recommendations from the Federation of State Medical Board.

"We want to be assured that the off-island physician on the other end of the line is qualified and licensed in his jurisdiction and in Guam," Blas said.

Dr. George Macris, president of the Guam Medical Society, said the proposed " Telemedicine Act of 2008" is "unnecessary."

"The bill is restrictive, special interest, and will have a chilling effect on the vast majority of local and off-island physicians who seek and provide off island consultations electronically," Macris said in an email sent to members of the Legislature.

"A bill which authorizes the filing of charges against local and off island physicians who seek off island consultation utilizing advanced technology is very, very dangerous," he added.

Pete Sgro, president of the Guam Healthcare and Hospital Development Foundation, warned that the new version of the bill will discourage telemedicine on Guam, "which is technology that is used throughout the world to effectively raise the standard of care for patients in remote areas."

GMH recently acquired telemedicine equipment, which was donated by the healthcare foundation, and telemedicine training provided by the Guam Radiology Consultants.

"Substitute Bill 245 is in total conflict with the legislative intent of the original version," Sgro said.

The original bill was first publicly heard in March. "I am ashamed to admit that this new version has also taken me by surprise. It is a real shame that special interest has taken a hold of some of our public servants," Sen. Ben Pangelinan stated in an email to Sgro.