KMA Unlocks Telemedicine Restrictions... Platform Conflicts and Scope of Practice Remain Challenges

Restrictions on Auxiliary Means of Face-to-Face Medical Care
Primary Medical Institutions Centered, Korean Medical Association Led
1.5 Times Fee Compared to Face-to-Face Care
'Telemedicine Agenda' Passed at General Assembly

Regular General Assembly of the Korean Medical Association.
Photo by the Korean Medical Association

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The medical community, which had steadfastly maintained a negative stance on the introduction of 'non-face-to-face medical treatment' for over a decade, has shown a progressive position. This shift appears to be influenced by the fact that non-face-to-face medical treatment has become an unstoppable trend as it has been activated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the stance remains that non-face-to-face medical treatment should be limited as a 'supplementary means' to face-to-face treatment, compared to previous claims that it should be fundamentally prohibited, it is evaluated that the lock has effectively been opened.

KMA "We Lead"

According to the medical community on the 26th, the Korean Medical Association (KMA) recently passed a remote medical care agenda at the regular general assembly, which includes promoting remote medical care centered on primary medical institutions and led by the KMA, and applying fees that are 1.5 times higher than those for face-to-face treatment.

Looking into the agenda, it clearly states that the discussion subject for non-face-to-face medical treatment should be the medical community. The introduction of non-face-to-face medical treatment should be discussed from the perspective of public health rather than industrial aspects such as platforms. The emphasis on primary medical institutions being central aligns with this. Local clinics and hospitals that know the community residents and patients well should be the main providers of diagnosis and prescriptions so that patients can use the service with confidence. Regarding fees, since non-face-to-face treatment requires more attention compared to face-to-face treatment where patients are directly examined, there is a claim that an increase in medical fees is necessary.

The medical community began opposing the introduction of non-face-to-face medical treatment nearly 20 years ago. During the Roh Moo-hyun administration, a pilot project for introducing remote medical care was attempted but was scrapped due to opposition from the medical community. Even after temporary non-face-to-face treatment was allowed in February 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the KMA consistently urged the government to withdraw plans to expand remote medical care and to stop platform approvals. During the 2020 medical strike, the KMA also listed non-face-to-face treatment as one of the four major harmful medical policies.

However, since non-face-to-face treatment has been implemented for two years and has somewhat settled, and with home treatment becoming established after the Omicron variant pandemic, the judgment is that unconditional opposition lacks persuasiveness. The number of non-face-to-face treatments was 24,727 in February 2020, the initial introduction period, but increased to a cumulative 1,592,651 by January last year, and recorded a cumulative 3,523,451 by January this year. Especially, about 900,000 non-face-to-face treatments were conducted in February and March this year during the Omicron variant outbreak. The cumulative number of treatments reached 4.43 million as of March.

Platform Conflicts and Scope of Treatment Controversies Remain

Conflicts between the medical community and platform industry seem inevitable in the process of introducing non-face-to-face medical treatment. Conflicts between professional occupations and the platform industry have already been revealed in the conflict between the Korean Bar Association and 'LawTalk.' The Bar Association also launched its own lawyer information center called 'My Lawyer.' In the case of the KMA, it is negative about the platformization of non-face-to-face treatment itself, so there is a high possibility of conflict with existing platform operators, and the possibility of creating its own platform is currently low. Park Soo-hyun, KMA Public Relations Director, expressed concern, saying, "Currently, most of Korea's medical expenses are covered by health insurance premiums rather than the commonly said 'out-of-pocket' payments, and platformization that provides medical services like shopping could lead to increased insurance premiums," adding, "It could also cause problems that leave medical care in blind spots such as remote islands to wither and die."

The stance that non-face-to-face treatment should be limited to a supplementary role is also maintained. Director Park said, "Even chronic disease patients or diabetes patients do not just take the same medicine every time; intermediate check-ups are necessary," adding, "While some convenience should be considered, we need to approach what is the best service for patients' health, not just from an industrial perspective."

Currently, two medical law amendment bills for non-face-to-face treatment have been proposed in the National Assembly. The amendments include the scope of medical institutions and patients subject to non-face-to-face treatment, clarification of liability for remote medical accidents, and other contents. The Presidential Transition Committee is also showing active movements toward legal amendments. The committee recently held a meeting with the non-face-to-face medical platform DoctorNow and stated, "In addition to the legislative process, which physically takes a long time, we will strive to find immediate methods such as enforcement decrees to extend the lifespan of the non-face-to-face medical industry."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.