For patients around the country using marijuana as a treatment modality\nfor medical problems, Telehealth is one of the most pivotal factors in\nthat care. In addition to removing physical barriers that stand between\npatients and access to medical marijuana (distance, rural locations,\nvery few clinics, etc.), I believe that Telehealth medicine also allows\npatients to take advantage of life-changing medical marijuana support\nwithout the stigma associated with walking into a physical marijuana\nclinic, or driving to sometimes seedy area of town to find a doctor to\nperform a cannabis evaluation. Unfortunately, Telehealth care isn't easy\nfor patients to access in all parts of the country, and it's consumers\nwho are paying the price.
\nWhat Is Telehealth?
\nTelehealth is a broad term that\nencompasses a large selection of services and technologies. Through\nmeans such as online meeting platforms and other virtual health tactics,\nTelehealth delivers health, medical and educational services to\nconsumers around the country. In addition to use by medical marijuana\nproviders like myself, Telehealth medicine is also used in counseling,\nhome health, chronic disease management and even dentistry.
\nTelehealth is a hot topic in many states right now. As of the end of\n2015, all but eight\nstates\nproposed bills related to Telehealth access and medicine. Every state\nexcept Rhode Island currently offers some form of Medicaid coverage for\ntelemedicine. Additionally, the majority of states reimburse patients\nfor live video visits, nine states (including California, Alaska, and\nArizona) reimburse patients for forward services, and 17 reimburse\npatients for remote monitoring services. Thirty-two states (and the\nDistrict of Columbia) require telehealth services to be paid by\ninsurance companies on the same level as in-person visits.
\nThe Growth of Telehealth
\nWhile I'm happy to report that telehealth services are on the rise, only\none percent of the U.S. population currently has access to a telehealth\nprovider due to low doctor registration numbers and limited cannabis\ntelehealth laws across the country. Some telehealth companies are\nreporting annual revenues of upwards of $77\nmillion\nin 2015, which indicates a 77 percent increase from 2014. Telehealth\ncompanies often work with employers, health care providers and health\nplans to provide quality care to consumers everywhere.
\nCannabis Laws and Telehealth Conflicts
\nAlthough access to medical marijuana is one of the most direct purposes\nof telehealth medicine, it's still hotly disputed around the country.\nWhile 23 states, as well as the District of Columbia, currently have\nlaws that make cannabis legal in some form, every state except for\nCalifornia and Nevada now disallow telehealth access to medical\nmarijuana. In California, the telehealth laws support patient access to\nmedical marijuana as long as the \"Standard of\nCare\"\nis maintained. The Standard of Care means that medical marijuana\nproviders must use prudence and caution when consulting with, and\nprescribing treatment for, their patients.
\nHow Telehealth can Improve Access to Medical Marijuana
\nIn addition to the fact that telehealth makes accessing medical\nmarijuana easier for patients who live in rural or remote locations,\ntelehealth medicine also removes many of the less obvious barriers to\ncare, such as access to evaluations and the availability of certified\ndoctors.
\nAs it stands now, many patients are unable to obtain evaluations easily\nin their hometowns or states or have a difficult time accessing\ncertified doctors. In addition to there being a shortage of certified\ndoctors across the country, many traditional doctors are reflexively\ndismissive of marijuana because they did not study cannabis therapy in\nmed school and have had no real exposure to it since then. Finally, some\nvery ill patients also worry that informing their doctors about their\ndesire to try medical marijuana as a treatment modality will result in\nlosing access to potentially life-saving medical trials.
\nWhile the medical benefits of medical marijuana are widespread and\nwell-studied, many states haven't warmed up to the idea of using\ncannabis as a standard treatment modality. Because of this, it's my\nbelief that telehealth medicine is one of the most direct and efficient\nways for needy patients to access quality medical marijuana providers\nwithout all of the red tape.
\nThe Case for Telehealth Medicine
\nTelehealth is an important innovation that has the potential to bring\nquality healthcare to underserved populations. All around the country,\nthe conversation about telehealth is becoming a hot-button topic and\nlawmakers and consumers alike are beginning to realize how crucial this\nnew care modality is. Despite the fact that cannabis telehealth laws are\nstill restricted in many states, the telehealth industry is\ngrowing\nyear-over-year, and patients in places that offer telehealth access are\nbenefiting.
\nWhile very few states allow telehealth access to medical marijuana, the\nstates that do are serving their residents better than many other places\nin the country. Telehealth care is an efficient way for patients to\naccess the benefits of medical cannabis without the stigma, difficulty,\ndanger, or stress of finding an in-person provider.
\nUnfortunately, many citizens still don't currently have access to\ntelehealth medical marijuana care. In light of this, I propose that\nlawmakers work to bring cannabis laws and telehealth laws into\nalignment, as they have done in California. While the concept of\ntelehealth cannabis care is new for many states, medical marijuana\nproviders can serve their patients\neffectively, efficiently and safely so long as the Standard of Care is\nmaintained. When other states across the nation begin to realize the\nimportance of eliminating the conflict between telehealth and cannabis\nlaws, I believe that patient access to quality care will improve by\nleaps and bounds.
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