The Alliance convened over 80 organizations in a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) calling on the DEA to finalize the special registration for telemedicine. Background on the DEA Telemedicine Regulation Special registration to prescribe controlled substances through telemedicine was originally called for in the Ryan Haight Act of 2008. The Ryan Haight Act […]
CMS released a survey of Medicare beneficiaries during COVID-19 View CMS press release According to the survey, the most common type of forgone care because of the pandemic was dental care (43%), followed by regular check-up (36%), treatment for ongoing condition (36%), and diagnostic or medical screening test (32%). The most common reason cited for […]
CMS added 11 new services to the Medicare telehealth services list on a subregulatory basis. Medicare will begin paying eligible practitioners who furnish these newly added telehealth services effective immediately, and for the duration of the PHE. These new telehealth services include certain neurostimulator analysis and programming services, and cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation services. A […]
The Alliance submitted comments on the CY 2021 Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment Policies.
Taskforce on Telehealth Policy Issues Final Report View the report here. Twenty-three of the nation’s leading healthcare experts released their much-anticipated final report on Tuesday, September 15, identifying challenges and opportunities for telehealth in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Taskforce on Telehealth Policy, convened by the National Committee for Quality Assurance, the Alliance for Connected […]
HHS released the Calendar Year 2021 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS), which makes payment and policy changes under Medicare Part B for physicians, with significant telehealth provisions included. Also, the White House Issued an Executive Order on Improving Rural Health and Telehealth Access.
Today, 225 organizations signed a letter to House Telehealth Caucus Representatives Thompson, Welch, Matsui, Schweikert, and Johnson endorsing the Protecting
Access to Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Act of 2020 (HR 7663).
Taskforce on Telehealth Policy Public Comment Town Hall Please join us to share your thoughts on key telehealth policy questions post-COVID-19 at a Public Comment Town Hall on August 4 at 1pm ET. Register here: https://bit.ly/3jRpQ7y The Alliance for Connected Care is proud to be partnering with NCQA and the American Telemedicine Association to launch […]
Legislative Advocacy Kickoff with the House Telehealth Caucus The Alliance for Connected Care joined several organizations to host a virtual rally with House Telehealth Caucus Representatives Thompson (D-CA), Welch (D-VT), Schweikert (R-AZ) Johnson (R-OH) and Matsui (D-CA) to discuss the bipartisan Protecting Access to Post-Covid-19 Telehealth Act. The Alliance for Connected Care (“The Alliance”) was […]
HOUSE LEADERS MOVE TO PROTECT ACCESS TO TELEHEALTH POST-COVID-19
July 16, 2020 – The Alliance for Connected Care (“The Alliance”) is pleased to support the bipartisan Protecting Access to Post-Covid-19 Telehealth Act and we applaud Representatives Thompson (D-CA), Welch (D-VT), Schweikert (R-AZ) Johnson (R-OH) and Matsui (D-CA) for their leadership on this important bill.
“Telehealth services have been a lifeline for more than 9 million seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Protecting Access to Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Act will ensure that this access does not disappear once the coronavirus emergency is over,” said Krista Drobac, Executive Director of the Alliance for Connected Care. “We encourage all Representatives to cosponsor this important legislation.”
The Alliance has long worked with legislators to eliminate outdated 1834(m) originating site and geographic restrictions including longstanding work to support the bipartisan, bicameral Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act. However, in light of the central role telehealth has played in supporting our national response to COVID-19, we are pleased to also endorse the more direct action taken by this bill.
Recently, the Alliance helped convene 340 organizations on a letter calling for Congress to make several meaningful and permanent action to address statutory barriers to telehealth. Those groups uniformly called for the remove obsolete restrictions on the location of the patient, expanded HHS authority to determine appropriate providers and services for telehealth, continued telehealth payment for Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics and an automatic waiver HHS waiver authority for future emergencies. This legislation takes decisive action on three of those goals.
The Alliance is dedicated to improving access to care through the adoption of telemedicine and remote patient monitoring. Our membership brings together diverse industry leaders – from providers of direct patient engagement to physician consultation and remote monitoring, as well as the connected care technologies that are already facilitating the future of health care delivery. Members of the Alliance for Connected Care have seen firsthand how expanded access to telehealth and remote patient monitoring can better coordinate care, create economic efficiencies, and drive better health outcomes.
More information on the Legislation:
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