Skip to main content
Top

01-07-2020 | COVID-19 | News

News in brief

ACR clarifies support for telemedicine in rheumatology during and after COVID-19

Author: Claire Barnard

print
PRINT
insite
SEARCH

medwireNews: The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) has issued a position statement supporting the use of telemedicine during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has presented both challenges and opportunities to rheumatology professionals who have rapidly adopted telemedicine in routine practice,” said Chris Phillips, from the ACR’s Committee on Rheumatologic Care, in a press release.

“As providers plan for rheumatology care post-COVID, taking into consideration rheumatology workforce shortages and geographically distant patients, it is apparent that telemedicine could help rheumatology providers improve care models for their patients if the long-term economic and regulatory landscape remains favorable,” he added.

The position statement includes eight points, including support for protocols to ensure security of patient information and proposals to facilitate interstate telemedicine in the USA. The ACR stresses that telerheumatology should not “replace essential face-to-face assessments conducted at medically appropriate intervals,” and opposes geographic restrictions on telemedicine use.

medwireNews is an independent medical news service provided by Springer Healthcare. © 2020 Springer Healthcare part of the Springer Nature Group

1 July 2020: The coronavirus pandemic is affecting all healthcare professionals across the globe. Medicine Matters’ focus, in this difficult time, is the dissemination of the latest data to support you in your research and clinical practice, based on the scientific literature. We will update the information we provide on the site, as the data are published. However, please refer to your own professional and governmental guidelines for the latest guidance in your own country.

print
PRINT