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
Finally – Action on Prescribing Through Telehealth
Last week, we finally saw a proposed rule – “Telemedicine Prescribing of Controlled Substances When the Practitioner and the Patient Have not had a Prior In-Person Medical Evaluation” arrive at OMB. We expect that this proposed rule will avert the current end of telehealth prescribing flexibility on December 31, 2024. However, there remains significant risk of patients losing access to care due to the rulemaking. We also saw two major policy developments in this space last week, outlining the opportunities and risks for telehealth access. First - our nation’s foremost medical societies and behavioral health voices called on the Administration [...]
Mental Health Groups Sent Letter on Schedule IIN Non-Narcotic Prescribing
Mental Health Groups Sent Letter on Schedule IIN Non-Narcotic Prescribing Mental health groups are pushing the agency to allow Schedule IIN non-narcotic drugs to be prescribed without an in-person visit. Those include stimulants used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. A coalition of mental health groups, including the American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Kennedy Forum, wrote to the DEA on Tuesday, saying that not allowing such drugs to be prescribed without an in-person visit as it previously proposed would be a mistake. The Alliance was pleased to support the effort around this letter. [...]
Health Affairs: We Need National Policies For Voice-Based Telepsychiatry
Health Affairs: We Need National Policies For Voice-Based Telepsychiatry As of April 2024, no federal legislation or guidance has been implemented to establish permanence for telepsychiatry, and specifically for voice-based visits. With all telehealth flexibilities expiring at the end of 2024, in this piece, authors advocate for the permanent adoption and coverage of VBT, illustrate its importance using patient data, and provide recommendations on measures to incorporate it into policies to promote equity. Additionally, the authors encourage national adoption of universal terminology representing voice-based telehealth visits, defined as visits that take place through live real-time vocal interactions without the [...]
AARP: Pandemic-Era Trends in Telehealth Use among Americans with Private Health Insurance
AARP: Pandemic-Era Trends in Telehealth Use among Americans with Private Health Insurance AARP released a report, which assessed changes in telehealth use from 2019 to 2021 among people younger than 65 who are enrolled in private, employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) plans, which insure nearly two-thirds of Americans under age 65. It also examined how Americans used telehealth in the first two years of the pandemic and how telehealth use differed by demographic factors such as age, urban versus rural residence, and income, as well as social determinants of health (SDOH) indicators.
Kidney Medicine: Patient Perspectives on Using Telemedicine During In-Center Hemodialysis: A Qualitative Study
Kidney Medicine: Patient Perspectives on Using Telemedicine During In-Center Hemodialysis: A Qualitative Study In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States (US) federal government expanded originating telemedicine sites to include outpatient dialysis units. For the first time, nephrology practitioners across the US could replace face-to-face visits with telemedicine for patients receiving in-center hemodialysis. This study describes patients’ perspectives on the use of telemedicine during in-center hemodialysis. Integrating telemedicine into future in-center hemodialysis care using a hybrid approach could potentially build trust, optimize communication, and augment care.