Telemedicine Law: Guarding Yourself Against Potential Abuse

We all want to receive the best treatment. This is exactly why we seek for the best facilities who can offer us not only the state-of-the-art facilities but also access to the best medical practitioners who are highly skilled on what they do.

But what about issues of medical malpractice? How about those reports we hear about doctors being sued for doing more harm than good to the patients? The truth of the matter is, there is always risk in medical treatment. And even if it’s real discouraging to hear those negative stuff about some entities who are supposed to pioneer health improvement, there are still enough reasons why we should keep on believing. After all, they are those who spent significant amount of time studying their craft. It’s something we can’t just ignore.

We now have a lot of treatment methods. In fact, a single disease may have two or more options on the specific procedure that a patient wishes to pursue. One known but still not a mainstream practice is telemedicine process. It works with the idea that those people who suffer from diseases from far places which do not have a current facility to treat their sickness can coordinate with a doctor abroad who can help them out.

With the aid of online communication, people will already have easier access to their chosen health care center and physician. Convenient, isn’t it?

True. But amidst the good thing we see on this kind of process, there is also a drawback to it. Since its done online, patients will also have to pay through that method without necessarily signing something that guarantees positive result on the overall transaction. This alone, is already a disadvantage on itself.

Worse, there could be professional who would abuse their authority and charge more. Should there be a need to advise the patient to visit a clinic, the doctor will also have the power to suggest a specific facility where he or she has some financial affiliation. Nothing is really wrong with this if you can only make sure that the facility can offer the best service. Sadly, a number of those facilities are not as good as what Medicare provides, which is technically not a good thing for patients.

Doctors can also refer the person to a private place which is not really recognized by the law as a safe place where one can receive medical treatment. The telemedicine law grants facilities and personalities permission to practice at certain rules that they have to abide. Going beyond that is technically a violation of the law.

As the patient you have to practice more caution when it comes to the professional whom you wish to deal with. How trusted are they. If they refer you to a place, take time to verify the credibility of that facility as well. Is it really capable of addressing your needs? Is it registered? What are other patients saying about this?

Your health is at stake. Make it a point to be more responsible with the choices you make. Do not hesitate to ask your loved ones to assist you on the entire procedure.

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