Federal bureaucracy is holding back coronavirus screening, says U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio. The Oregon Democrat says he’s working with other Congressional delegates in easing regulations that may keep health providers from detecting COVID-19 in good time.
DeFazio says currently, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) do not allow telemedicine without an encrypted videoconference, which would hamper efforts to screen rural or senior patients.
“I was also told by another health care provider that CAT scans were found in China to be a very effective diagnostic tool," DeFazio tells KLCC.
"Again, the same stupid bureaucracy says you can only do that in an emergency room. Well, the last place you want someone with coronavirus is in the emergency room.
"We’re working on getting that rule waived so they can go to imaging centers, without jeopardizing the integrity of the hospital.”
DeFazio says he’s also looking into getting ventilators and more personal protective equipment secured for health workers.
Copyright 2020, KLCC.
