Will incoming Yoon administration legalize telemedicine services?

A doctor at a clinic in Jung District, Seoul, talks over the phone with a COVID-19 patient undergoing home treatment, Feb. 17. Joint Press Corps

By Lee Hyo-jin

Telemedicine companies, which have been enjoying a contactless boom since the government has temporarily permitted their services amid the COVID-19 pandemic, are now calling for establishing them legally so as to create a stable business environment.

They have pinned high hopes on the legalization of their businesses as the transitional committee for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is positively reviewing deregulatory policies related to digitalization in the healthcare sector.

Telemedicine, which enables doctors to treat patients remotely via telecommunications technologies, was technically illegal here in the pre-COVID-19 era under the Medical Services Act.

However, through a revision to the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, since February 2020, the provision of virtual healthcare services has been allowed in a limited manner as the country's infectious disease crisis level hit the highest level of alarm.

The revision has led to the emergence of multiple start-up businesses providing telemedicine services, such as Doctor Now, Doctor Call and Good Doc.

Through a mobile app, patients can receive counseling from licensed doctors, along with a diagnosis and prescription, after which the medicines can be delivered to their home.

During the last two years, an increasing number of patients, including those who were undergoing home treatment for COVID-19, have discovered the convenience of receiving treatment without having to visit a doctor.

In 2021, there were about 2.19 million telemedicine visits, a 46-percent surge from the 1.5 million in 2020, according to data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

A survey conducted by the Health and Welfare Committee at the National Assembly in February among 1,000 adults showed that 56 percent of the respondents viewed that contactless medical services should be permanently allowed, even after the pandemic.

Hence, the legalization of remote medical services is anticipated to gain momentum under the Yoon administration, as the president-elect vowed to increase support for the telemedicine industry by improving regulations that otherwise may hinder the growth of startup companies in the medical sector.

During a meeting with startup companies, last December, Yoon said, "I will make sure that all people can benefit from the innovative healthcare services, while minimizing conflicts of interest between doctors and telemedicine service providers."

On April 19, officials of the presidential transitional team in charge of youth communication visited Doctor Now's office to discuss ways to create a sustainable business environment for the telemedicine industry.

Doctor Now CEO Jang Ji-ho, left, shows Rep. Park Soo-young of the main opposition People Power Party, center, how the company's telemedicine services are accessed through a mobile app, during the latter's visit to the company's office in Seoul, April 19. Courtesy of Doctor Now

Revealing user data accumulated through the last couple of years, the company stressed that "unlike concerns that only large hospitals would benefit from the service and that telemedicine services would only be popular among the young generation, 30 percent of our users were above 40 in age, while local clinics accounted for 81 percent of medical service providers."

"We will make efforts to ensure a stable business environment for promising startup companies by revising the relevant laws, so that they do not have to close their businesses due to outdated regulations," said Jang Ye-chan, an official of the transition committee.

The National Assembly, for its part, is moving to establish legal boundaries on remote healthcare services.

In September of last year, Rep. Kang Byung-gook of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea proposed a revision to the Medical Service Act that aims to permanently allow remote medical services to patients who suffer from chronic illnesses, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and arrhythmia.

More discussion needed on details

However, further discussions are needed as the telemedicine service providers and the medical workers remain far apart on some key details.

Doctors believe that the service should be offered in a limited fashion to "returning patients," those who have been treated at least once by the physician, or those with underlying diseases, while service providers insist that telemedicine should be open to anyone, regardless of their treatment history or medical condition.

Meanwhile, pharmacists are strongly protesting the legalization of the telemedicine services, which include non-face-to-face prescriptions and drug delivery, expressing concerns that these practices may lead to the illegal trading of drugs.

"The government's decision to temporarily allow telemedicine services amid the COVID-19 pandemic was groundless. The expansion of these services has led to false prescriptions for symptoms that were irrelevant to the patient, disrupting the overall medical system," read a statement released by the Korean pharmaceutical association, Tuesday.

"Platform companies, which act as if they are licensed medical service providers, have been luring people to get prescription drugs such as diet pills through false and exaggerated advertising," it added, calling their businesses "illegal."

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