What is a Telehealth Attorney?
- Jacob Wisda
- 0
- on Mar 04, 2022
Every Practice Needs a Telehealth Attorney
The growth of virtual healthcare has made treatment easier to provide than ever. Clinics and their patients have more freedom and flexibility than walk-in care afforded. That said, remote treatment still demands administrative, legal, and practical oversight. To stay on top of this, many providers have looked into hiring a telehealth attorney.
Walk-in and virtual healthcare both involve compliance with state and federal laws. On top of that, lawsuits over misdiagnoses, costs, or the quality of treatment aren’t uncommon [1]. As a result, the onus is on providers to make sure that their actions are in line with all legal standards. And keeping track of regulations is a lot easier with an expert on board.
Even the best practices need legal resources they can lean on. A good lawyer does more than help with lawsuits, they improve daily operations and policies. That’s why Beam is here to break down the most important roles for a telehealth attorney. With all your legal bases covered, treatment will only ever improve.
Who Gets to be a Telehealth Attorney
At a glance, some clinicians may not understand the full scope of a telehealth lawyer. Medical attorneys with the most exposure tend to handle malpractice lawsuits. They help sue or defend a provider accused of surgical errors, prescription mismanagement, and other errors. But the majority of a healthcare lawyer’s work happens outside the courtroom.
While businesses hire lawyers as consultants, clinics have done the same for decades. Because of this, healthcare is an important specialization in the legal field. Some attorneys focus on treatment liability, while others study medical antitrust laws [2]. In truth, almost all behind-the-scenes work at a clinic has legal components.
In the end, most lawyers who work in health aren’t ambulance chasers. Telehealth attorneys do the administrative and compliance work lawyers have done for years. Many of these legal experts work in telehealth for the same reason providers do. Virtual care is convenient and effective enough to attract anyone into the fold.
Telehealth Attorney Roles
Each practice has its own needs and points of specialization. With this in mind, no two clinics will hire telehealth lawyers for the same reasons. But even when that’s the case, some roles are more common than others. And by understanding everything a lawyer can do, practices are more likely to take on one [3].
Telehealth attorneys will help your clinic navigate existing legislation on medical abuse. For virtual care, legal advice helps avoid accidental breaches of federal or state guidelines. Unintended self-referral, fee-splitting, or licensing issues can destroy your practice and reputation.
Since telehealth draws on many kinds of technology, clinics have to juggle government agency standards. First, a good attorney will help providers stay on top of HIPAA privacy requirements. Lawyers also guide clinics on FDA medical device standards in home kits. Finally, attorneys cover FTC problems with online applications, programs, or terms of use.
Government oversight isn’t where a telehealth attorney’s help ends. Private entities have separate health standards clinics need to meet. Lawyers can draft agreements between virtual platforms and hospitals or renegotiate a contract. They also mediate on transactional problems with payments or insurance coverage.
Finally, a telehealth lawyer is essential in case of litigation. Of all medical complaints, very few make their way to court. And that’s because attorneys help a clinic sit down with upset clients to discuss their grievances. Whether this leads to a settlement or not, expertise can save time, energy, and resources.
Why You Need Counsel Today
In the long run, a telehealth attorney offers your clinic incalculable benefits. By staying on top of behind-the-scenes work, they can anticipate and solve legal problems. But because telehealth is a new, growing field, lawyers do more than routine work. They help your practice change along with the industry.
Every year, federal and state governments pass new laws affecting telehealth [4]. They encompass insurance coverage, liability, and treatment oversight. On top of that, different specializations may have unique regulations. So, a primary care provider has separate guidelines from a remote psychiatrist.
In an ever-changing and complicated legal field, your telehealth attorney is key. Not only will they keep you up to date on policy changes, but a lawyer will help adjust services by state standards. Telehealth guidelines ensure safe, standardized care. At the end of the day, a telehealth lawyer will only help you provide that care.
From a distance, telehealth attorneys don’t seem to have much bearing on healthcare. But clinics that invest in reliable counsel do more than avoid legal problems. They offer the highest standard of treatment around. And to help practices make the most of telehealth, Beam is here to help. We offer one year of free service to qualifying mental health clinics. Click here to learn more.
Sources:
[1]https://bencrump.com/medical-malpractice/what-are-the-most-common-medical-malpractice-claims/
[2] https://corporate.findlaw.com/law-library/areas-of-career-specialization-health-law.html
[3] https://cohenhealthcarelaw.com/healthcare-compliance-regulatory/telemedicine-and-e-health/