At present, the direction of medicine, such as telemedicine, becomes more and more known and the number of questions about the procedure of providing medical assistance using telemedicine is also growing.
The Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation clarified to the National Telemedicine Association (NTMA) some provisions of the Ministry’s order on application of the information technologies in Russian healthcare system.
In accordance with these explanations, doctors could provide medical assistance only in a specially equipped room (a cabinet at the hospital or room at doctors’ apartments with the necessary equipment) even if the hospitals intend to carry out only counseling via telemedicine technologies. The hospitals should be included on the Federal Register of Health Organizations, and healthcare practitioners (not only doctors) should be included on the Federal Register of Healthcare Practitioners.
Medical care via telemedicine technologies could be provided only for the patients registered in the state identification system (ESIA), which excludes anonymous medical care.
This means that the telemedicine companies should start to cooperate with the hospitals. Telemedicine companies can not work with the healthcare practitioners directly, which makes difficult to conduct remote consultations at call-centers.
Amendments to the Federal Law “On Fundamentals of Protection of Public Health in the Russian Federation” was put in force on January 1st 2018. It introduced the provision of medical assistance using telemedicine technologies. However, some essential issues remained unsolved: which telecommunication facilities could be used (Skype, WhatsApp, mobile connection), how the healthcare practitioners could monitor the patients’ conditions.