Barak D. Richman

Jan 8, 2025 | jamanetwork.com | Charles G. Kels |Barak D. Richman

To the Editor The use of telecommunications by patients and physicians to reduce unnecessary office visits is nearly as old as the telephone itself. A recent Viewpoint1 argued compellingly for state medical boards to adopt enduring flexibilities to support interstate telemedicine, not just temporary measures during public health emergencies.

Jan 8, 2025 | jamanetwork.com | Barak D. Richman

In Reply Mr Kels and I agree on many things, including that telemedicine has a long tradition in US health care delivery, that states have historically been granted broad authority to regulate the practice of medicine, and that state regulators should use that power to facilitate interstate telemedicine because it is the right thing to do. Our disagreement rests on our understanding of the current federal judiciary.

Nov 1, 2024 | jamanetwork.com | Barak D. Richman |Elizabeth Plummer |Fort Worth |Ge Bai

A hallmark of health policy is that even simple fixes are hard to implement. To illustrate, it has taken years of legislative battles for the US House of Representatives to pass the Lower Costs, More Transparency bill,1 which aims to equalize Medicare drug payments to outpatient medical facilities regardless of ownership—a move toward so-called site-neutral payment policies.

Oct 21, 2024 | jamanetwork.com | Kevin A. Schulman |Barak D. Richman

Addressing Surprise Medical Bills and Out-of-Network Prices It is no secret that the US has a complicated financial backbone for the health care system. Private health plans set different prices with different physicians and hospitals (collectively, providers) for so-called in-network care.

Sep 27, 2024 | healthaffairs.org | Sean McBride |Barak D. Richman |Carmel Shachar

The statutes, regulations, guidance, policy documents, and manuals that govern how hospitals and their employed physicians interface with the US government are multitudinous, complex, and oftentimes difficult to decipher. Hospital general counsels are typically tasked with translating the tomes issued by administrative agencies to ensure that their employers—the health system and its associated physician staff—understand their legal liabilities.