On Tuesday, May 12, the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) issued a public statement calling for the U.S. Congress and the Trump administration to make permanent the expansion of telehealth across U.S. healthcare, as has been necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The association, representing CIOs and other health IT leaders in patient care organizations nationwide, noted that telehealth expansion “has been facilitated through temporary flexibilities, waivers or allowances to federal rules by agencies such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Office for Civil Rights, the Office of the Inspector General and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Also, funding allocated in the CARES Act and released as grants through the Federal Communications Commission has boosted telehealth capabilities for eligible providers.”
The statement, attributed to CHIME president and CEO Russell Branzell, and posted on CHIME’s website, stated that “Telehealth has facilitated the delivery of health and care during the pandemic in the U.S. and around the world. Our members have stood up telehealth programs literally in days, letting their hospitals and health systems triage patients and provide care to those in need. They have been able to safely treat non-COVID patients or COVID patients with mild symptoms at home without the risk of exposing clinicians and other hospital administrative workers to patients with the virus. With personal protection equipment in short supply, telehealth programs have also been critical for hospitals and ambulatory care facilities.”
Further, Branzell noted in the statement, “CHIME supports the changes enacted by Congress and the administration and wants them made permanent. Our members have shown the tremendous value that virtual care brings to patients, clinicians, healthcare organizations – including acute, ambulatory, long-term, post-acute, and behavioral health providers – as well as payers. In making these changes permanent, we must ensure they are provided in a secure and private environment. Our members place a premium on protecting patient data and we are confident that with the right tools and policies, telehealth can be delivered securely.”
And, Branzell/CHIME added, “We call on Medicare and all other insurers to continue to fund telehealth programs and work collaboratively on coverage and coding to lessen provider burden. We cannot go back to pre-COVID telehealth; instead, we must go forward. Patients will demand it and providers will expect it. We encourage everyone in healthcare to build on the momentum and continue to innovate with virtual care. Working together, we will come out of this pandemic stronger, better, and more resilient than ever.”
