For Digital Health Brazil, resolution number 2,314/2022, which defines and regulates telemedicine as a form of medical services mediated by communication technologies, marks another important step forward in expanding and guaranteeing access to quality care.
Following the approval by the National Congress of Bill No. 1998/2020, which authorizes the practice in Brazil, telehealth has achieved another important achievement. Resolution 2,134/2022 of the Federal Council of Medicine (CFM), which regulates telemedicine as a form of medical services mediated by communication technologies in Brazil, came into force today.
The measure clarifies that the decision to authorize or not teleconsultations will be up to health plans, as well as the doctor himself, maintaining his autonomy to decide when it is possible and safe to use the resource. In addition to not introducing any restrictions, the text also lists which services should be carried out in person as a priority.
The resolution also clarifies important concepts for practice, such as the seven modalities covered. In addition to teleconsultations, these include teleinterconsultation (when doctors consult other doctors), telediagnosis (sending exam reports to doctors), telesurgery (mediated by robots), telemonitoring (monitoring the patient's clinical progress), teletriage (regulating the patient for hospitalization) and teleconsultation.
For Caio Soares, president of Saúde Digital Brasil (Brazilian Association of Telemedicine and Digital Health Companies), the CFM resolution is very complete, follows the logic of the parameters of the Code of Medical Ethics and respects an important aspect, which is the autonomy of the doctor. According to him, this decision contributes substantially to the improvement of the SUS (Unified Health System).
“This is yet another confirmation of the value of telehealth. And, of course, another important step towards digital health in Brazil. Our country is finally beginning to enter this era of Digital Health in fact and now by law, supported by a law that provides legal and information security and with clear guidelines for the full exercise of telemedicine,” he emphasizes.
