The Chamber of Deputies concluded this Tuesday (13) the analysis of the bill that authorizes and conceptualizes the practice of telehealth throughout the national territory, covering all regulated health professions. The proposal goes to presidential sanction.
Deputies partially approved the amendments to the matter proposed by senators. The only accepted device includes in the Statute of Persons with Disabilities the determination for the Unified Health System (SUS) to develop actions for the prevention of disabilities due to avoidable causes through the improvement of neonatal care, offering actions and services for the prevention of brain damage and neurological sequelae in newborns, including by telehealth.
The text of the rapporteur, Deputy Pedro Vilela (PSDB-AL), expanded the reach of telehealth practice, previously restricted to doctors through telemedicine. With the extension, telehealth will be considered the modality of providing health services at a distance through the use of information and communication technologies.
According to the project, the acts of the health professional practiced in this way will be valid throughout the national territory and those who exercise the profession in another jurisdiction exclusively through this modality will not need another secondary or complementary registration to that of the council of their state.
For the effective exercise of the practice, the registration, in the Regional Councils of Medicine (CRMs) of the states in which they are headquartered, of the intermediary companies of medical services will be mandatory.
In justifying the project, one of the authors, deputy Adriana Ventura (Novo-SP) argued that the practice is carried out in countries such as the United States, Colombia, Australia, United Kingdom, Bangladesh, China, Mexico, Norway, Portugal. According to the deputy, the measure will expand access, increase the quality and reduce the cost of health services in Brazil.
“It is known that the country, of continental dimensions, currently has only 47 million private health users, leaving the public system to accommodate more than 160 million people in the midst of outdated, insufficient structures and heterogeneous distribution, concentrated in large urban centers,” he said.
Autonomy
The decision on whether or not to use telehealth is up to the professional in the area, including in relation to the first consultation, service or procedure, and may choose to use face-to-face care whenever he deems it necessary. The patient must be informed and have consented to the practice.
The inspection of the practice will be the responsibility of the federal councils of the professions involved. According to the text, the standards adopted for face-to-face service modalities should be applied.
For the use of telehealth, the project stipulates principles to be followed in the remote provision of services:
- autonomy of the health professional;
- free and informed consent of the patient;
- right to refuse telehealth care;
- dignity and appreciation of health professionals;
- safe and quality patient care;
- data confidentiality;
- promotion of universal access for Brazilians to health actions and services;
- strict observance of the legal attributions of each profession; and
- digital responsibility.
