Reports: FTC to discuss retail clinics, telemedicine during public workshop

WASHINGTON — The Federal Trade Commission is holding a public workshop in March to examine U.S. healthcare competition issues as healthcare spending swallows up a significant part of federal and state budgets. Among the topics up for discussion, according to reports, are retail clinics and telemedicine.



According to reports, the two-day workshop will be held March 20 and 21 in Washington, D.C. and will be webcast on the FTC’s site.



During the workshop, the FTC intends to looks at innovations in health care delivery, such as retail clinics and telemedicine, and the potential benefits that such models can provide. It will also consider the impact of regulatory frameworks on their development.



Additional topics will include —

• Professional regulation of health care providers;


• Advancements in health care technology;


• Measuring and assessing quality of health care; and


• Price transparency of health care services.