Page 16 - Part 2 Introduction to Telemedicine

SVMIC Introduction to Telemedicine

Like outcome data in any ambulatory setting, it is difficult to know

what findings can be generalized.

The Physician Insurers Association of America (now known as the

Medical Professional Liability Association) compared telephone
treatment claims versus overall malpractice experience.
8

 Of 94,228 total claims in its database from 2004-2013, only

196 were associated with telephone treatment

 Of those claims, 56 resulted in some form of payment

 Telephone treatment claims thus represented 0.21 percent of
all indemnity costs

Note that this data is for telephone-related events. Data are

currently being collected for telemedicine; however, the problems
of definition discussed above make interpretation difficult. The

highest-level summary of the liability issue boils down to two
opposite edges of the same sword:

 For some conditions, the benefits to patients of availability,

access to higher levels of expertise and other advantages
outweigh the potential limitations of the modality

 For some conditions, the risks of remote treatment outweigh

the advantages

Liability allegations arising from telemedicine are largely going to
be the same as the common exposures for each specialty. In

general, the principle of “parity” means that the same standards for
acceptable practice apply to virtual visits that would apply in-

person. However, there are some twists that need to be considered
when treating patients at a distance. Many are related to the

8 Physician Insurers Association of America. (Now known as the Medical Professional Liability Association)
Telemedicine and MPL: The story so far. https://www.mplassociation.org/

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