The department of Information technology  released the draft guideline and standards for Telemedicine last week and has called for comments and suggestion to be sent to them.

In order to enable the public to understand the impact of the proposed legislation and to contribute suggestions on the same, a summary of its impact is provided here in.

The preamble to the guideline suggests the thinking behind the proposal.

The main objective as stated in the proposal is that the legislation will encourage Telemedicine practice and help in the delivery of quality health care to those in need.

The secondary objectives suggested are ensuring the Right To Privacy of Health Information and to integrate with the global telemedicine standards.

The practical implication of the legislation is as follows.

The Essential Impact of the Proposal:

The legislation in Telemedicine when it comes out will

a) Introduce licensing for Telemedicine Practice

b) Introduce mandatory standards to be incorporated in Medical Equipments regarding storing and forwarding of data and images and licensing of approved equipments.

c) Introduce "Universal Identifiers" for Health Providers, Medical Practitioners and Patients.

d) Provide guidelines for setting up "Tele Medicine Centers"

e) Provide guidelines for Remote Medical Consultancy

f) Provide guidelines for collection and distribution of fees for Tele  Medicine services amongst the different service providers.

g) Force State Governments to introduce new laws aimed at protecting the Intellectual property rights of the equipment manufacturers.

h) Mandate standards of Connectivity for communication.

i) Mandate specific patient consent for use of Telemedicine, Tele Consultancy.

j) Mandate use of Digital Signatures and Security procedures for storing and transmission of medical information.

k) Mandate "Pre Certification" of doctors for Telemedicine practice from an appropriate authority.

l) Require all existing Hospital Management Software to be reviewed and made compatible to the provisions of the legislation.

Individual comment on each of these aspects will follow in the forthcoming articles.

Naavi

December 26, 2002

Related:

Is This an Indian Version of HIPAA?

Telemedicine Legislation and Digital Divide

Are We Ready for Telemedicine Regulation?

Telemedicine Draft Guidelines Released for Public Comment

Rs 2860 crores Outlay for SMART Governance ?-April 2002

Legal Issues of Tele-Medicine Practice October 2000