Telemedicine Cuts Costs, Increases Potential Liabilities

Increased use of technology to treat injured workers remotely potentially could speed treatment, give injured workers access to more specialists and reduce workers compensation claims costs, but telemedicine also introduces new risks that must be addressed, a panel of experts said. Licensing issues for medical providers, determining which conditions can be treated remotely and having a process for escalating treatment to an in-person setting all need to be considered, they added.

Given the huge costs associated with health care, “telemedicine has this great potential, but with all the potential there’s pitfalls and liabilities, and we have to keep that in mind,” said Debra Goldberg, chief underwriting officer at Sapphire Blue, a managing general underwriter unit of Ryan Specialty Group L.L.C. in Chicago.