Telehealth Across State Lines Called Fix for Workforce Shortage

Allowing doctors and other providers to easily practice telemedicine across state lines would combat the nationwide health-care staffing shortage ignited by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Workforce is an issue,” Deanna Larson, CEO at telemedicine provider Avel eCare, said at a Thursday hearing of a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation panel. Larson serves on the board of directors of the American Telemedicine Association. “It’s very important to us that geography is not limiting where we can see individual patients,” Larson said.

The health-care industry is facing a staffing crisis due to the increasing demand of caring for Covid-19 patients, pandemic-induced exhaustion, greater ...