One possible solution is
to create a national licensure
standard, which would enable
doctors to treat patients in any
state. Another idea calls for
prohibiting denial of insurance
reimbursement based on a
patient’s location. “There are
a number of efforts on the
legislative and regulatory ends
to make this easier,” Skutnik
says. Find out how you can get
involved at nationalMSsociety
.org/advocacy.
Future of the field
Despite these issues, telemedicine
holds tremendous promise in
treating people with MS. “I
Telemedicine can
help deliver quality
care to people with
MS who live in hard-
to-reach areas.
think that there will be a number
of places where telemedicine
will be used for ongoing MS
care,” Skutnik says. “It’s been on
everyone’s radar screen for the
last three or four years.”
Telemedicine programs may
eventually expand to assess
patients at home—both to
monitor their health and to
help them adapt their homes
to better accommodate their
physical needs. “It potentially
has a lot of applications that will
simplify the process and save
money through the system as a
whole,” Dr. Pardo says.
Stephanie Watson is a freelance
health writer based in Atlanta.
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