IOM panel examines the promise and reality of telemedicine

Institute of Medicine experts find that the continued integration of telemedicine into the health care system will face challenges in the years ahead.

CQ HealthBeat: The Promise Of Telemedicine Runs Into Reality, IOM Panelists Say
An estimated 10 million patients in the United States are served by telemedicine each year, but expanding its reach further and making it an integral part of the health care system will remain a challenge without changes in reimbursement policies and state licensing, panelists said at an Institute of Medicine workshop Wednesday. Yet plenty of ideas abound, such as using relatively inexpensive personal devices like tablets or cell phones for increased remote monitoring of patients' chronic conditions, or teledentristy for conducting dental examinations, or even telesurgery using robots directed by a surgeon at a remote console (Norman, 8/8).

Meanwhile, in Kansas --

Kansas Health Institute News: HIE Board Delays Decision On Turning Authority, Costs Over To State
After nearly four hours of discussion today, the board responsible for regulating digital health information exchange in Kansas postponed its vote on a proposal to dissolve and turn its regulatory authority over to a state agency. Instead, members of the Kansas Health Information Exchange board decided to form a committee to develop a list of the dissolution proposal's pros and cons and return with a recommendation for the board to consider at its Sept. 12 meeting. The proposal to fold KHIE's functions into the Kansas Department of Health and Environment would eliminate more than half of KHIE's $400,000 projected annual costs and transfer the rest to taxpayers (Cauthon, 8/8).