Telemedicine compliance in Georgia is a systemic question: who, how and under whose supervision must deliver a remote service. The answer lies in five articles of the Law on Medical Practice — Article 90 establishes the lawful conditions of the service, Articles 91 and 92 the data-protection block, Article 56 the documentation standard, and Article 66 the state supervisory body. Foreign compliance frameworks do not operate directly in the Georgian system — the page is carried by the Georgian law.
The lawful conditions of the service
Article 90 determines three pillars: the right to receive a medical consultation by means of telemedicine belongs only to a subject of independent medical practice; on the basis of a consultation received in this way, only the same subject gives recommendations to the patient; and responsibility for the results of the service is borne by the subject who directly issues the recommendation. The first test of compliance is precisely this architecture: the organiser, the recommender and the responsible party are one certified person.
The data-protection block
Under Article 91, in the use of telemedicine means the protection of the confidentiality of information about the patient is incumbent on the subject of independent medical practice, and, at the patient's demand, data on identity, state of health and private life may be transmitted anonymously. Under Article 92, technical personnel participating in the transmission of information are prohibited from disclosing information about the consultation received and are obliged to protect the confidentiality of information about the patient's state of health. The second test of compliance is this reduction of access: the medical content is needed only by the consulting physician, and the technical personnel is only a channel.
The documentation standard
Article 56 turns medical records into the third pillar of compliance: the subject is obliged to keep medical records for every patient in the established manner. The records must be drawn up in the state language, clearly and comprehensibly, and a foreign specialist's record must be translated; they must be complete — every part, including the patient's personal, social and medical data, is filled in fully; information is recorded in a timely manner and within defined periods; the records adequately reflect every detail of the service; and every new part is certified by signature. The storage rules of the records must also be observed, and communication to a third person occurs only in the cases provided by the law. Every new part of the record is certified by a clear signature, according to the existing rule. Every episode of a remote consultation must be recorded under this standard.
State supervision
Article 66 determines the supervisory body: state supervision of medical practice is exercised by the Ministry through the Council, and the Ministry ensures the active participation of university clinics, professional associations of physicians and other public organisations in the supervision. A compliance programme is built in anticipation of this body: documentation, access and the chain of responsibility must be recorded so that any inspection discovers ready material.
Assembling the compliance programme
The programme consists of four blocks. The first is subjective: it is established who is that subject of independent medical practice who receives the consultation, issues the recommendation and bears responsibility — and the binding of these three roles to one person is recorded in documents. The second is technical: it is determined who the technical personnel are, what access they have and how their immediate obligation — the prohibition of disclosure — is reflected. The third is documentary: a form of medical records is created that reflects every detail of a remote episode — timely, complete, signed. The fourth is supervisory: the file is assembled so that an inspection carried out through the Council of the Ministry discovers ready material — documentation, a register of access and the chain of responsibility. The possibility of anonymous transmission is written as a separate item of the programme, since it begins from the patient's demand and the design of the service must take it into account.
Practice shows that the documentary block is most often the weak link: remoteness creates the illusion that the record can be completed later. Article 56 knows no such exception — the record is kept for every patient, and a remote episode does not differ from an in-person visit in this respect.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are the questions most frequently raised about telemedicine compliance.
What are the three tests of compliance?
The architecture of the service under Article 90, data protection under Articles 91 and 92, and documentation under Article 56.
How is a remote consultation recorded?
By medical records — complete, timely and certified by signature, in the state language.
Who verifies compliance?
State supervision is exercised by the Ministry through the Council, with the participation of public institutions.
Is anonymisation of the patient possible?
Yes — under Article 91, at the patient's demand the data are transmitted anonymously by telemedicine.
What is prohibited to technical personnel?
Disclosure of information about the consultation received; they are also obliged to protect the confidentiality of information about the patient's state of health.
How We Help on Legal.ge
The specialists of Legal.ge build telemedicine compliance programmes on Articles 90, 91, 92, 56 and 66: we assemble the architecture of the service, access and the rules of records, and prepare the file for supervision. Submit a request on this page and receive a compliance map.