Hospitals, Groups Eye Nurse Licensing Requirements As Impediment To Potential Telemedicine Benefits
Advocates are targeting rules that require nurses be licensed in each state they work, but they will come up against a powerful opponent: the nurses' unions.
The Wall Street Journal:
A Battle Brews Over Nurse Licensing In The Digital Age
Hospitals and some nursing groups are lobbying state legislators across the nation to do away with requirements that nurses be licensed in each state where they work, arguing that the rules inhibit the use of new health-care methods such as telemedicine. The push to get states to join nursing licensing compacts reflects growing adoption of remote health services such as patient care and monitoring online and by the phone. Telemedicine, as it is known, is expected to soar in the U.S. to $1.9 billion in 2018 from $240 million in revenue in 2013, according to research firm IHS Technology. (Armour, 4/26)
In other health IT news, Apple is releasing templates for creating health care apps —
The Associated Press:
Smartphone Health: Apple Releases Software For Medical Apps
Apple is edging its way a little further into health care with the release of new iPhone apps that patients can use to manage their own medical conditions — from diabetes to pregnancy and even depression. (Bailey, 4/27)
