During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government loosened regulations that govern the use of telemedicine for patients, which are set to expire on December 31, 2024. With a few months to go, an extension is possible. Some University at Buffalo researchers and clinicians believe that returning to pre-pandemic restrictions would have a profoundly negative impact on healthcare.
“It is an important time to be raising issues about telemedicine,” says University at Buffalo Clinical and Translational Science Institute Hub Liaison Team Associate Director Andrew Talal, M.D., M.P.H., Professor of Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. “Healthcare is changing. We have the technology; people should be seen wherever they are, when they want to be seen.”
“[Telemedicine] has allowed for increased access to treatment for many people and has certainly saved tens of thousands of lives — if not more — across the country,” says Joshua J. Lynch D.O., Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. “Letting these rules expire or requiring in-person visits to continue virtual care would be going backwards…”
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