The Wisconsin Medical Examining Board’s (MEB) Telemedicine Subcommittee met for the first time March 16 to begin the review and revision of the previously introduced draft rule on telemedicine, MED 24. As previously reported in
The Valued Voice, the MEB introduced draft language of MED 24 in November 2015 and then held a public hearing in January 2016. WHA testified in January, along with several other key stakeholders, requesting the MEB reconsider the need for the rules, and if the process of rule writing were to continue, that a MEB subcommittee be formed to more fully analyze the need for the rules and to also allow the full engagement of stakeholders.
At the March 16 meeting, the MEB Telemedicine Subcommittee began by first discussing the intent of the bill and whether or not existing rules and regulations provide adequate oversight for telemedicine. There was not consensus from the four-person committee on this fundamental issue. Committee Chair Ken Simons, MD, stated it is clear “we need guidance before we proceed further” in response to a concern raised by fellow committee member, David Roelke, MD, that although well intentioned, new rules on telemedicine could have “unintended consequences.”
Department of Safety and Professional Services staff suggested committee members prepare for the next meeting scheduled May 18 by reviewing the American Telemedicine Association’s “
State Telemedicine Gap Analysis,” as this document, in part, outlines unintended consequences that occurred when other states passed telemedicine legislation and rules.
WHA continues to maintain that the telemedicine rule, in its current draft version, might be unnecessary and/or duplicative of existing rules that pertain to medicine.
No actual review or revision to the currently proposed MED 24 rule occurred at the March 16 meeting. WHA’s Task Force on Telemedicine will continue to provide input to the MEB. For more information contact WHA Vice President of Workforce and Clinical Practice Steven Rush at
srush@wha.org.