Hold your next meeting
Continued from page 38
Thus, before billing for telemedicine
claims, make sure the patient is actually
located at a facility that is eligible.
Make Sure You are Using
Approved Communications
Equipment. In general, practitioners
must provide telehealth services using
an interactive telecom mu nications
system. Interactive telecommunications
systems do not include telephone,
fax, or email. Interactive communi -
cation systems must allow real-time
communication with both audio and
video between the beneficiary and
the practitioner.
Document, Document,
Document (and Record)! Most
healthcare practitioners know by
now that files need to be documented
thoroughly to withstand audits and
scrutiny. So, too, in the telemedicine
context. A best practice is to invest in
the recording of phone calls. This is
often a telemedicine company’s best
line of defense in rebutting patient
complaints and other allegations.
Ultimately, no precautions will
inoculate a telemedicine provider from
scrutiny. As the government spends
more and more money on telemedicine,
increased enforce -
ment is likely to
be the norm. As
the old adage goes,
an ounce of
prevention is worth
a pound of cure.
Nowhere is this
adage truer than in
the evolving world
of telemedicine.
Authors:
A. Lee Bentley, III,
and Jason Mehta -
Bradley Arant
Boult Cummings,
LLP
2 <: = - = 3 / , ; = 7 9 8 6
*==45+<=.<0:;1
at THe
Chester H. Ferguson Law Center
1610 N. TAMPA STREET, TAMPA, FL 33602
The Chester H. Ferguson Law Center is an ideal location
with a variety of rooms to meet your needs.
Reserve for a day or for a few weeks.
Convenient to downtown Tampa,
the Ferguson Law Center has many amenities:
• Six conference rooms of varying sizes
• Complimentary AV equipment and Wi-Fi
• Free, street-level parking
Wagner Lounge Gillen Mediation Room
Smith Board Room Stiles Conference Room
Trenam Conference Room Yerrid Conference Center
Reserve your space today.
Call (813) 221-7777 or email [email protected].
6