Medical Council reviewing its Statement on Telehealth

Media statement

For immediate release 28 January 2016

Medical Council reviewing its Statement on Telehealth

The Medical Council announced today that it is reviewing its Statement on Telehealth.

The revised statement is intended to apply to:

• doctors registered in New Zealand and practising telehealth in New Zealand and/or overseas; and

• doctors who reside overseas and provide health services through telehealth to patients in New Zealand.

Council chairman, Mr Andrew Connolly says telehealth is a dynamic and ever changing part of medical care and this is reflected in the review of the statement.

‘Our June 2013 statement does not require a significant overhaul as it adequately covers various aspects of telehealth and Council’s expectations of doctors in New Zealand and overseas who practise in this area.

‘Nevertheless, there is scope for our statement to be clearer on the registration requirements of such doctors, as well as what doctors should consider when they prescribe and provide care via telehealth.’

‘One of the key areas of concern for Council is protecting the health and safety of patients using telehealth.

‘For this reason, we still expect that treatment provided to a patient in another location meets the same standards as care provided in a face-to-face consultation.

‘This includes standards relating to patient selection, identification, cultural competence, assessment, diagnosis, consent, updating the patient’s clinical records and communicating with the patient’s relevant primary care provider,’ said Mr Connolly.

The Council recently reviewed its statement on Good prescribing practice, and several changes have been proposed to the ‘Prescribing’ section of the revised Statement on telehealth so that both statements are consistent.

For example, when writing a prescription or a repeat prescription, it is important that doctors obtain the patient’s medical history, have appropriate information available (which may include access to either the full patient record, or the patient’s shared electronic record), consider all the relevant information in relation to issuing a prescription for that patient, and update the patient’s clinical records.

In addition, before issuing a new prescription for any medicine, doctors should have a face-to-face discussion with the patient to assess the suitability of the medicine they are intending to prescribe. Alternatively, doctors should consider a video consultation with the patient or discuss the patient’s treatment with another New Zealand registered health practitioner who can verify the patient’s physical data and identity.

‘Obviously, if it becomes clear in the course of a video consultation that a physical examination is required, the doctor must inform the patient of this requirement and arrange for an appropriate physical examination to be performed’ said Mr Connolly.

In relation to registration of overseas based doctors providing a recurring service to New Zealand based patients Council believes a thorough assessment of the qualifications and experience of those doctors is necessary. In addition, Council is exploring how to approach competence or conduct concerns involving overseas based doctors.

In relation to registration, doctors living in New Zealand who are providing services via telehealth only to patients located in another country at the time of treatment are not required to be registered with the Council. However, such doctors remain subject to New Zealand law (notably in respect of prescribing). They may also be subject to the jurisdiction where their patient is located and should therefore familiarise themselves with the requirements of that country.

Submissions on the Council’s Statement on telehealth close on Tuesday, 29 March 2016.

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