Our Members
The Alliance for Connected Care aims to:
Demonstrate the importance of Connected Care as a tool for improved quality and efficiency.
Build significant and high-level support for Connected Care among leaders in Congress and the Administration.
Enable more telehealth to support new models of care.
Lift geographic and site restrictions for telehealth in Medicare.
Establish a consensus-based, standardized definition of Connected Care to advance with policymakers.
Alliance News
Alliance Sends CMS “Shovel-Ready” Digital Health Priorities
The Alliance congratulates Dr. Mehmet Oz on being confirmed as the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). We look forward to working with Dr. Oz in continuing the transformation of health care in the United States, through technology-enabled care that meets patients where they are and creates cost-saving efficiencies for the federal government. There are many antiquated restrictions on care that stand in the way of our technology-enabled future. Below, please find Alliance for Connected Care’s list of “shovel-ready” regulatory issues that CMS either has the authority to act on without Congressional action or that would [...]
Alliance Calls on DEA to Rescind or Revise Telemedicine Rule
The Alliance appreciates the DEA’s forward movement on telemedicine prescribing of controlled substances policy. However, the Alliance continues to be concerned to see language in the proposed rulemaking mandating in-person visits as this is not an appropriate guardrail for a telehealth service. Similarly, restricting the geography in which telemedicine can be offered undermines the value of creating virtual access for those patients who need it most. For these reasons, the Alliance encourages the Trump Administration to withdraw this proposal and work with stakeholders to ensure continued access to comprehensive medical care through telehealth, including when a controlled substance is required. [...]
Telehealth and Outpatient Utilization: Trends in Evaluation and Management Visits Among Medicare Fee-For-Service Beneficiaries, 2019-2024
medRxiv: Telehealth and Outpatient Utilization: Trends in Evaluation and Management Visits Among Medicare Fee-For-Service Beneficiaries, 2019-2024 Prior to the pandemic, telehealth accounted for just 0.1% of monthly E&M visits but surged to 41.0% in April 2020 before stabilizing between 5.7% and 7.0% in 2023-2024. The average monthly E&M visit rate per 1,000 FFS beneficiaries was 906.8 pre-pandemic and 918.6 post-pandemic. In the post-pandemic period, telehealth comprised 1.2% of E&M visits in low-use specialties, 8.4% in medium-use specialties, and 43.8% in high-use specialties. Following an initial surge, telehealth use stabilized in 2021 and beyond. Overall outpatient utilization remained stable post-pandemic, [...]
Alliance Joins 300 Organizations to Make Permanent Telehealth for Employers
The Alliance for Connected Care joined more than 300 organizations to Congress urging immediate action on making permanent the telehealth flexibility allowing employers to offer telehealth below the deductible for those enrolled in a HDHP paired with an HSA. Read the full letter here or below:
350 Organizations Request Congress to Take Action on Telehealth in March
The Alliance for Connected Care co-led a letter, signed by almost 350 organizations, urging Congressional leadership to take action in March to establish permanent or long-term access to telehealth. Both patients and practitioners seek assurance that services will remain available. Enhanced access to telehealth services serves as a lifeline to patients across the country, allowing patients to access critical health care services even when they have barriers to accessing in-person care, such as weakened immune systems, transportation challenges, geographic distance, and more. Read the full letter here or below: