10 Minimum Standards for Telemedicine

The AMA Federal Council at its 27 March 2021 meeting approved a set of 10 Minimum Standards for Telemedicine to support the integration of telemedicine into medical practice. The minimum standards take a broad approach and align with established principles for the safe use and delivery of telemedicine services as outlined in the AMA Position Statement: Technology-based patient consultations - 2013.

The standards therefore seek to cover not just an array of technological solutions that could be utilised in complementing the provision of patient medical care and framed under the term “telemedicine” but also to cover their use and implementation into medical practice across the board. The standards primarily seek to guide the provision of telemedicine services in a manner that ensures continuity of care, enhances patient access to appropriate care, and does not fragment it.

These standards will add to the AMA’s existing suite of 10 Minimum Standards for Communication between Health Services and General Practitioners and Other Treating Doctors, Medical Forms and Prescribing. These standards are a statement of the minimum prerequisites the AMA would like to see in place for these matters.