[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 89 (Tuesday, July 12, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 12, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
               A PRESIDENTIAL COMMISSION ON TELEMEDICINE

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                        HON. PATRICIA SCHROEDER

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 12, 1994

  Mrs. SCHROEDER. Mr. Speaker, imagine being diagnosed in your own 
living room via your television screen by your doctor miles away. He is 
able to take your pulse and temperature while you are sitting on your 
sofa. Or having your x rays viewed simultaneously by your family doctor 
and a consulting expert across the country.
  This is not a futuristic fantasy. It's an example of what 
telemedicine projects are already doing in America today. Medical and 
technology forces are converging to give American health consumers 
better and more cost-effective access to quality care. By the end of 
this century, telemedicine will be as common as air travel.
  Telemedicine is the wave of the future in health care. I believe it's 
time to set up a Presidential Commission on Telemedicine, while the 
field is still in its formative stages, to facilitate and foster its 
growth.
  Today I am introducing legislation in the House to set up a 
Presidential Commission on Telemedicine that will assess the state-of-
the-telemedicine field today and outline how to make telemedicine an 
accepted practice in the delivery of health care services in our 
country.
  The Commission is designed to be comprehensive, yet succinct. It will 
be a year-long Commission, directed by the Vice President, including 
among its members the Secretaries of Commerce, Health and Human 
Services, Defense, and Energy. Because telemedicine affects a wide 
variety of specialties, the Commission will include among its 26 
members physicians and consumers, as well as experts in many fields 
including, but not limited to, medicine, biomedical engineering, 
telecommunications, education, and business.
  I want a wide range of people involved in this exciting new field to 
come together, compare notes, and lay out a framework for the 
development of telemedicine in the United States. This Commission can 
help create a blueprint on telemedicine to make sure doctors use it, 
insurance pays for it, and consumers have confidence in it. I have 
circulated a draft of my legislation to people who have been following 
the progress of American telemedicine. This bill reflects the comments 
of such experts.
  I believe that establishing the infrastructure for telemedicine 
should be sure-footed. A 1-year Commission to set out that measured 
plan of action will be a key step as we seek to forge a national policy 
on telemedicine.

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