Daphne C. Ferrer, MD and Peter M. Yellowlees, MBBS, MD
Telepsychiatry extends access to psychiatric treatment to those who might not otherwise get it, but licensure problems and the risk of boundary violations between patients and physicians need to be worked out.
Mei Wa Kwong, JD, Mario Gutierrez, MPH, and James P. Marcin, MD, MPH
Although cross-state licensure is currently a barrier to the widespread adoption of telemedicine, policies that would expedite it or remove the requirement to be licensed where patients are located have been proposed by the Federation of State Medical Boards and the federal government.
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has infringed on the trust between patient and physician. When it is repealed, physicians will have to invite confidences from patients who have long been unable to give them.