What are the risk management issues surrounding practicing medicine via the Internet?
While the Internet offers potential benefits, such as increased access to care and specialized expertise for those in remote areas, some features may prove to be problematic, such as: • The possibility that a clinician patient relationship is unintentionally established by such an encounter • The licensing and regulation of physicians (and other health care providers) who practice across state lines • Application of state laws when the clinician and patient are in different states • Confidentiality and integrity of electronically transmitted patient information • Creation, maintenance, archiving, and ownership of the records of an Internet consultation • Potential violations of self referral statutes where physicians are investors in Internet projects • Contingency plans to handle the potential for equipment or service problems that may adversely impact the transmission of information At this stage, the effect of Internet practice on the standard of care and malpractice litigation is u
