Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Applications For Florida Telehealth Taskforce Rolling In

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
Ryan Benk
/
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

Updated 4 p.m. 7/27

A committee tasked with investigating the best way to implement telemedicine in Florida is starting to take shape.

A 15-member panel mandated by a law passed last January should be in place next year.

Senator Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, has sponsored bills setting up a regulatory framework for the service of telemedicine for several years. The practice involves doctors diagnosing patients from a distance, usually using webcam technology.

But agreeing on a formula for ensuing doctors are paid for their service has been tricky. Especially deciding whether out of state doctors can treat Floridians and what conditions would be covered.

With the passage of a law this year though, those decisions have been largely delegated to a panel of 19 experts within the Agency for Healthcare Administration. Senator Bean said applications for a spot on the board are rolling in.

“There has been great interest in serving. Our Senate President, the Speaker of the House and the governor get the final say of who goes on there, but they’re going to have a great selection process to choose from,” Bean said.

Bean added the panel’s membership should be finalized during the 2017 legislative session and it’ll probably be another year after that before final recommendations are submitted to lawmakers.

“We’re going to put together some of the brightest minds of how to enact that legislation going forward. That’ll take another year and a half before we launch again. I’m committed to that product,” he said.

Names of potential commission members have not yet been released. 

CORRECTION: The number of panel members was incorrect. There are 15 members mandated by a law passed last January.

Copyright 2020 WJCT News 89.9. To see more, visit WJCT News 89.9.

Ryan Benk is originally from Miami, Florida and came to Tallahassee to attend Florida State University. He worked on Miami Dade College’s Arts and Literature Magazine- Miamibiance Magazine and has published poetry and a short film called “ The Writer.” He’s currently working as the Newsroom’s Researcher while finishing his Creative Writing Bachelor’s Degree at Florida State University. When he’s not tracking down news, Ryan likes watching films, writing fiction and poetry, and exploring Florida.