014 **Just In Time** Telemedicine and COVID-19

Show: 014 Top Priority Podcast | *JUST IN TIME* Telemedicine and COVID-19

Date Recorded: March 25, 2020

Host: Duane Lester, Manager of Issue Education, Grassroots Leadership Academy

Guests: Charlie Katebi, Healthcare Policy Analyst, Americans for Prosperity

Tom Romeo, Program Officer of Technology & Innovation, Stand Together • What is the impact of telemedicine in combating the pandemic of COVID-19? min [2:05] The biggest barriers to access of care are in Medicare and Medicaid: If you live outside of a major metropolitan area, that the government deems “not a shortage area” you do not have access to telemedicine because of government regulations and prohibitions. In a pandemic social distancing is imperative for the health of patients and providers alike, lifting these barriers allows for ill people to consult with a healthcare practitioner while keeping everyone safe. • What is meant by the term “telemedicine”? min [6:05]

1. A video conferencing consultation between patient and care provider

2. Using outpatient devices to allow a doctor to monitor patient health progress in real time

3. Allowing a general practitioner to share patient conditions with a specialist in real time • In this pandemic, we are finally seeing the lifting of prohibitions so policy can catch up to the technology. min [11:09]

• How are we tracking the results of a societal Openness when it comes to lifting prohibitions on healthcare technology? min [13:35]

• What are the opportunity costs of these barriers in our healthcare system? min [21:57] **Additional Resource**

• The latest work from Mercatus Center in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the novel coronavirus causing it.

• Increasing Access to Care in the State by Mercatus Center