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For Immediate Release
2/3/09
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Pippy Health Care Bill Would Expand Use of Telemedicine in PA

Part of HealthNET PA plan to reduce health care costs, expand access and bolster community health centers. 

Harrisburg – State Sen. John Pippy (R-37) today announced legislation creating the Telemedicine Act to permit physicians licensed in another state to receive medical data and radiology images for a patient located in Pennsylvania for purposes of interpreting the data to consult, diagnose or treat that patient.

The senator's measure is part of HealthNET PA, a 15-bill package that expands access to health care and medicine to uninsured and low-income working Pennsylvanians more quickly, and at a fraction of the cost of other state and national proposals.

"Hospitals and health care providers can contract with telemedicine and teleradiology service providers who may be located outside of Pennsylvania and even outside of the United States.  In fact, the largest provider of radiology services in the United States, Nighthawk Radiology Services, is located in Australia and Switzerland," Pippy said. "Its locations accommodate the need for hospitals to have physicians available to read medical images such as CAT scans or ultrasounds during the overnight hours when local hospital radiologist may be unavailable."  

Senator Pippy's legislation would require such out-of-state physicians to be licensed in Pennsylvania. 

"Technology improves patient safety, enables greater access to quality care, and creates efficiencies within the health care industry.  However, the way in which technology is applied must ensure adequate protection of consumers.  Many hospitals require physicians providing telemedicine or teleradiological services to meet certain qualification standards, but there is no state law requiring them to do so," Pippy said.

HealthNET PA expands access to health care and medicine to 507,000 uninsured and low-income working Pennsylvanians. It utilizes information technology to control costs and reduce health care-associated infections, and provides expanded insurance options for employers and families, and will incorporate the concepts of disease prevention and wellness.

In addition to Senator Pippy's bill, features of the 15-bill HealthNET PA package include the following:

• Improving Access to Health Care and Medicines
  • Establishing the Community-Based Healthcare Program for the expansion and site development of health care clinics across Pennsylvania to provide "medical homes" for 175,000 working poor clients and ease pressure on hospital emergency rooms.
  • Implementing a physician/health care facility volunteer program through which an additional 159,000 uninsured patients would be assigned to a primary or specialty care physician, with access to free specialty care, labs and inpatient hospital care.
  • Creating a registry of free prescription drugs and allowing retail establishment pharmacies to sell prescription drugs at a minimal cost, such as $4.
• Making Health Care More Affordable
  • Helping hospitals and doctors' offices convert to Electronic Medical Records, boosting evidence-based diagnosis and treatment protocols, and encouraging Telemedicine expansion.
  • Permitting health insurers to withhold payment to providers in the event of a medical error, and allowing employers to establish "Healthy Living Committees" qualifying for insurance discounts.
  • Providing funding of a critical cost-saver – the reduction of health care-associated infections.
• Expanding Coverage
  • Providing "Mini-Cobra" coverage for small business employers, creating a high-risk pool for individuals who cannot access other coverage, and extending the option of dependent coverage to age 30. (Nearly half of uninsured Pennsylvanians are age 18-34.)
  • Providing $5 million in state tax credits for the use of Health Savings Accounts.

Approximately $225 million is annually deposited into the Health Care Provider Retention Account from the current cigarette tax and the CAT Fund surcharge. An estimated $125 million a year is needed to fully fund the current MCARE abatement, which makes the remaining $100 million available for HealthNET PA.

For more information, including statistics, charts and useful links, please visit the HealthNET PA homepage at www.pasenategop.com/healthnet.htm.

CONTACT:

Greg Mahon
(717) 787-5839