Shelby Review

Michigan Rep. Douglas Wozniak (R-Shelby Township) said the passage of telehealth legislation signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on June 24 will give the state’s residents the flexibility to communicate with doctors on the status of their medical conditions using the internet.

“As you know, going through the COVID crisis, the rural hospitals are very challenged as to keeping their doors open. One of the ways we can support them is through telehealth,” Wozniak said in an audio file on Michigan House Republicans.

Telehealth is the management of health care by using digital information through computers or mobile devices.  

Rep. Douglas Wozniak | Michigan House Republicans

The plan uses telemedicine via the web to improve access to care for Michigan patients by sending data and video images that can be stored and provided to doctors at a later time. It replaces the former requirement that a telehealth visit be done in “real time,” the actual time when the information is supplied. This will in turn allow doctors more time to analyze such data.

Information can be sent from a patient from their home, and Wozniak said the technology will particularly benefit those residents of Michigan who live in remote or rural areas of the state.

“Right now we've got about 96.5% coverage for the broadband in this state, the internet,” he said in the audio file. “So we can affect a lot of patients that live up in the Northern Lower, even in the U.P. (Upper Peninsula), where they don’t have to make that trip down to see the doctor anymore. They can turn it on in their computer.”

Wozniak said that many Michigan communities have doctor shortages and face transportation issues, and he believes expanding the use of telemedicine will allow more people access to the care they need.

He said it would also increase efficiency and reduce expenses. “I’m really excited about it," Wozniak told his constituents. "I think it's going to help our state go forward, improve the health of Michigan.”