ATA to Testify to Congress Wednesday
The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) is convening a full Committee hearing on June 17 at 10am: Telehealth: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Dr. Joe Kvedar, incoming President of the American Telemedicine Association, has been invited to testify. Dr. Kvedar will address how the expansion of telehealth services during the pandemic has improved patient care and the impact of the regulatory flexibilities put in place during this public health emergency. He will also outline the ATA’s recommendations on federal actions needed to ensure that healthcare providers and patients do not lose access to telehealth once the COVID emergency ends, and perspective on the adoption and implementation of telehealth in the future.
Click here to read Dr. Kvedar’s full testimony.
The ATA has been working closely with the Administration from the outset of the pandemic, supporting efforts at HHS and CMS to waive restrictions on access to telehealth during the pandemic. The ATA believes that policies that allow providers and patients to access care when and where they need it – using safe and effective technologies – can help improve patient outcomes at reduced costs. As such, the ATA is urging Congress to remove geographic and originating site restrictions indefinitely, to empower patients and allow for provider discretion when choosing how to best treat patients.
Read Senator Brian Schatz's (D-HI) June 15 letter to Senate leadership, co-signed by 29 other Senators from both sides of the aisle.
Read Senator Lamar Alexander's white paper, "Preparing for the Next Pandemic." Alexander (R-TN) chairs the Senate committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, which will be hearing Dr. Kvedar's testimony.
About the American Telemedicine Association
The mission of the ATA is to support the ability of telehealth to transform healthcare and the patient and provider experience through enhanced, efficient and more convenient delivery of healthcare services. The ATA is dedicated to promoting a health care system where more people have access to safe, effective, and appropriate care when and where they need it.
The ATA also plays a central role in introducing and supporting reforms in public health policy that can expand access to virtual care. In just one example, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ATA joined with member companies to partner with Congress and rapidly identify and address a range of regulatory barriers that could prevent our nation’s ability to expand the use of telehealth services in a period of unprecedented demand for remote patient care.
The ATA continues to work to make sure that regulations and guidelines related to the use of telehealth reflect the needs of patients and providers as well as advances in technology. Some issues where the ATA and its members are working to introduce changes that will benefit patients and providers include limiting restrictions on access to telehealth services for Medicare beneficiaries, expanding the use of advanced technologies that can improve patient care, and supporting appropriate licensing requirements for providers.
The ATA believes policies that allow providers and patients to access care when and where they need it – using safe and effective technologies – can help improve patient outcomes at reduced costs. As such, we believe Congress must enact policies that will empower patients and allow for provider discretion when choosing how to best treat patients.
We believe federal telehealth legislation should reflect the following principles:
- Ensure patient choice, access, and satisfaction
- Enhance provider autonomy
- Incentivize 21st century care
- Enable healthcare delivery across state lines
- Empower advanced practice providers
- Expand access for underserved and at-risk populations
- Support seniors and expand “aging in place.”
- Protect patient privacy and ensure cybersecurity
Membership information: https://www.americantelemed.org/membership
©2020 by Rowan Consulting Associates, Inc., Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in Home Care Technology: The Rowan Report. homecaretechreport.com One copy may be printed for personal use; further reproduction by permission only. editor@homecaretechreport.com