Medical Marijuana (Cannabis) Evaluations over Video?? Wow!
July 5, 20105 CommentsMedical Marijuana Law
Dr Sean Breen,
marijuana medicine,
Medical Marijuana,
medical marijuana card,
medical marijuana cards,
medical marijuana evaluations,
Proposition 215,
Senate Bill 420,
telemedicine,
www.mcsocal.com
It is interesting how far some physicians will push the limits of the law to make a buck. Recently there have been a number of medical marijuana clinics that have opened where the doctor sees the patient over a video conference. You read that correctly. The doctor is in an office hundreds of miles away speaking to you over a computer. Make no mistake: the medical board of California clearly states that the physician must physically examine each patient that he/she recommends cannabis for.
I recently contacted such a clinic where the doctor charges $30/visit and faxes a signature to the clinic. He operates 6 clinics at a time all from hundreds of miles away. The man who answered the phone tried to convince me that “telemedicine” is being used all over the country and it is perfectly legal.
If you are a patient or potential patient please understand a few things. These clinics are fly by night and will not last. Eventually that doctor will be reported to the state medical board and he will lose his license. Not only will your recommendation not be valid but you have just wasted both your time and money.
On top of that, if you were to ever have any legal issues I promise you that this doctor is not going to come to your court appearance to defend your recommendation. That is a big deal.
You really want to make sure that the clinic you receive your medical marijuana recommendation from has a physical doctor on site that personally speaks AND EXAMINES YOU. He should review your medical records, take your vital signs and physically examine you. Anything less is not compliant with the medical boards standard of care.
The line in the sand has been crossed and personally integrity amongst many physicians has been thrown out the window. Support your legitimate doctors clinics!!
Pretty sure you can get renewals through telemedicine in California. I’m not sure if it needs to be the same doctor who did the physical evaluation before or in general.
Telemedicine is legal; in fact it is being used all over the world. As long as the doctor is Licensed in California it all good.
For follow up visits. In California the medical board treats cannabis as a controlled substance and says the first visit must be in person
Look at Senate Bill 1665. Its perfectly legal as long as you meet the requirements. Do some research before you post thing like this.
I have done research. Here is what Senate Bill 1665 also states:
“There are prohibitions relating to prescribing over the Internet, which can result in license discipline, and carries hefty fines for prescribing without an appropriate prior examination (Business & Professions Code Section 2242 and 2242.1). This examination, however, need not be in-person, if the technology is sufficient to provide the same information to the physician if the exam had been performed face-to-face. A simple questionnaire, however, without an appropriate examination would be a violation of law, and would be a disciplinable offense.”
The California Medical Board says its treats cannabis like a controlled narcotic in terms of prescribing it. It requires doctors to perform a face to face examination. How can you physically examine a patient over the internet? Listen to their heart, lungs, palpate their back etc. The answer is you can not and you are just looking for a short cut to make a fast buck. You are not being honest with yourself and the only reason you would recommend cannabis over the internet is because of the limited risk of being sued by a patient.
Telemedicine is fine when following up a patient that you have already seen and are very familiar with.