TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Sen. Holly Schepisi and Sen. Michael Testa that would bolster emergency care standards for telemedicine cleared the Senate Health, Human Services & Senior Citizens Committee March 10.
“Telemedicine has changed the way people engage with health professionals,” said Testa (R-1). “As the trend expands and more of us are interacting with doctors through video, it is vital to take steps to secure the best care possible without in-person contact.”
The Schepisi/Testa bill, S-606, requires health care providers using telemedicine or telehealth to make good faith efforts to “activate and coordinate with emergency care services” when a patient demonstrates an urgent need for help.
This would include providing the patient’s name and contact information to emergency services and attempting to determine the individual’s current location.
“This legislation will help elevate telehealth’s emergency care response with a proven model that emulates practices used by hospitals and doctors’ offices for patients in emotional crisis,” Testa continued. “It will establish tele-care standards that will help save lives.”
“With people now utilizing remote mental health care options at a rate many times higher than pre-COVID levels, more residents are using it to get more immediate help with serious mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression,” Schepisi noted. “It is essential to ensure proper procedures are in place for dealing with life-or-death emergencies, including threats of self-harm or suicide.”
Cape May – The number one reason I didn’t vote for Donald Trump was January 6th and I found it incredibly sad that so many Americans turned their back on what happened that day when voting. I respect that the…
