Read the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' response to our comments here. The Alliance for Connected Care, in partnership with the American Telemedicine Association, led 112 organizations in a letter requesting that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to take action on preserving the benefits of telehealth by ensuring telehealth practitioners [...]
National Institutes of Health (NIH): Telehealth Supports Retention in Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder Starting buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder through telehealth was associated with an increased likelihood of staying in treatment longer compared to starting treatment in a non-telehealth setting. A study analyzing Medicaid data from 2019-2020 in Kentucky and Ohio found that receiving buprenorphine [...]
Public Policy Institute of California: Telehealth Usage among Low-income and Undocumented Californians Statewide telehealth use jumped dramatically among low-income Californians covered by Medi-Cal in March 2020, when telehealth visits began to be reimbursed at the same rates as in-person visits. There was comparable trends in California’s community health centers (CHCs)—primary care clinics that serve all comers—for Medi-Cal and [...]
The Alliance for Connected Care led a letter urging House and Senate leaders to support the passage of the Telehealth Expansion Act of 2023 (H.R. 1843/S. 1001). This is legislation which the House Ways & Means Committee advanced on a bipartisan basis earlier this year. The Telehealth Expansion Act of 2023 is a bipartisan, [...]
This update includes: Alliance Sign-On Opportunity Alliance Submits Comments to House W&M Committee Rural RFI DEA Announces Second Temporary Extension of Telemedicine Flexibility for Prescription Controlled Medications House E&C Health Legislative Hearing on Telehealth Privacy Act and notable research and news developments
Kaiser Permanente: Telehealth Primary Care Outcomes Remained Steady Well Into 2021 During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kaiser Permanente patients became much more likely to visit their primary care doctor by video or phone. A study found these patients had similar medical outcomes whether they saw their doctor in-person or virtually. These findings, on top of our previous [...]
Psychiatric Services: Psychotherapy Disruption Before and After the Transition to Virtual Mental Health Care Induced by the COVID-19 Pandemic According to research published in Psychiatric Services, journal of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the rapid transition to virtual care that occurred with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in better continuity of psychotherapy visits compared to prior [...]
JAMA Network Open: Use of Prenatal Telehealth in the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic Prenatal telehealth use was more common among Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Islander, and Indigenous respondents compared to non-Hispanic White respondents, as well as those living in urban areas vs rural areas. The study highlights the importance of considering patients' preferences when [...]
Epilepsia: Telemedicine as a Path to Bridging Inequities in Patients with Epilepsy Access to epilepsy specialist care is not uniform in the US with prominent gaps in rural areas. In this retrospective study, social determinants of health were collected for all adult patients scheduled in epilepsy clinic, either as an in-person or telemedicine appointment at [...]
The Alliance for Connected Care submitted comments to the House Ways & Means Committee request for information (RFI) on ways to incentivize access to care in rural America. Please find the full comments below or here.