California's Telemedicine Restrictions Impact Cancer Survivor's Follow-Up Care
Robin Clough, a resident of Santa Clarita Valley, California, is facing challenges in continuing her telemedicine follow-ups with an out-of-state doctor who played a crucial role in her cancer treatment. Diagnosed with anaplastic thyroid cancer in 2022, Clough received targeted immunotherapy at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, which helped bring her cancer under control. However, California's restrictions on interstate telemedicine prevent her from having follow-up consultations with her Houston doctor now that she is in remission. A proposed bill, S.B. 1002, aimed to allow patients in remission to continue interstate care, but it failed to pass in the California Assembly. The bill faced opposition from the Medical Board of California and the California Medical Association, citing concerns over licensing and patient safety.