The tension between traditional medical values and expanding commercialism is real
The Texas Medical Board ruled earlier this year that doctors must examine patients in person (or “face to face”) before treating them online, essentially declaring telemedicine an adjunct to in-person care, not a replacement. Teladoc, the largest U.S. telemedicine provider, filed an antitrust lawsuit in U.S. District Court, which suspended the Board’s ruling. The court’s decision suggests it is not up to doctors to set a standard of medical care. It’s a marketplace decision. If people want to be diagnosed without the benefit of a physical examination, and companies choose to provide that service, that’s their right. It will be interesting to see whether medical malpractice will be harder to prove once the marketplace lowers the standard of care.
The tension between traditional medical values and expanding commercialism is real
The Texas Medical Board ruled earlier this year that doctors must examine patients in person (or “face to face”) before treating them online, essentially declaring telemedicine an adjunct to in-person care, not a replacement. Teladoc, the largest U.S. telemedicine provider, filed an antitrust lawsuit in U.S. District Court, which suspended the Board’s ruling. The court’s decision suggests it is not up to doctors to set a standard of medical care. It’s a marketplace decision. If people want to be diagnosed without the benefit of a physical examination, and companies choose to provide that service, that’s their right. It will be interesting to see whether medical malpractice will be harder to prove once the marketplace lowers the standard of care.