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Telemedicine Rouses Privacy Concerns
Some hospitals turn to foreign radiologists to interpret late-night ultrasounds and other scans.
It's 2 AM; do you know where your radiologist is? He or she could be in Bangalore, India, where the time zone difference means a wide-awake radiologist is in the middle of the workday.
Supporters of these remote medical interpreters cite several advantages to telemedicine. Radiologists can be available at any hour, to any hospital or doctor from the biggest city to the smallest rural practitioner.
Some question several aspects of the remote programs. Are fully certified radiologists seeing every image, or are less-qualified technicians supervised by one or two radiologists doing the assessments? Are they accountable for incorrect interpretations? Do the countries provide the same privacy protections as domestic companies?
"Patients have the right to know, and the right to say no, before their X-rays or other private health information is offshored to countries that lack strong privacy safeguards," said Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), who with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) recently introduced legislation that would require patient consent in advance.
Several hundred hospitals use these services now, according to one Idaho-based company with radiologists in Australia and Switzerland serving them. "I'm convinced patient care is improved," said Paul Berger of Coeur d'Alene-based NightHawk Radiology Services.
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David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business. Email him here.
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David Utter
