Organizations Send Letter to Congress About Permanent Telehealth Reform

Feb. 2, 2022

More than 300 organizations this week sent a letter to Congress urging permanent telehealth reform after the COVID-19 pandemic ends, the organizations say that renewing every 90 days causes uncertainty for the nation’s healthcare system

Janette Wider

According to a Jan. 31 press release from the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), on Jan. 31, 336 organizations sent a letter to Congress urging the facilitation of a pathway to comprehensive, permanent telehealth reform after the COVID-19 pandemic ends.

The letter was co-led by the Alliance for Connected Care, American Telemedicine Association (ATA), College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME), Consumer Technology Association (CTA), Executives for Health Innovation (EHI), Health Innovation Alliance, HIMSS, Partnership to Advance Virtual Care, and Personal Connected Health Alliance (PCHAlliance).

The press release from ATA states that “While the Biden Administration may elect to extend the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), the fact that the PHE determination must be renewed every 90 days and could end later this year is creating significant uncertainty for the U.S. healthcare system. The letter calls for Congress to advance permanent telehealth reform focused on the following specific priorities:

Authorize the continuation of all current telehealth waivers through December 31, 2024;
Require HHS to complete all feasible evaluations related to telehealth by fall 2023 and combine findings into a single overarching dashboard with recommendations to inform permanent telehealth legislation by Congress; and
Pass permanent, evidence-based telehealth legislation for implementation in 2024. Virtual care is now a fundamental part of the U.S. healthcare system, and it will improve patient access to high-quality care well beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Patient satisfaction surveys and claims data from CMS and private health plans demonstrate that many Americans have come to see telehealth as one of the most positive improvements to our nation’s healthcare system in recent memory. Importantly, a majority of U.S. voters believe Congress should protect their ability and choice to see a provider via telehealth post-pandemic.”

“Now is the time to give certainty to the millions of Americans who have come to rely on virtual care and give healthcare providers the tools they need to continue to deliver uninterrupted, quality care to their patients,” Kyle Zebley, vice president, public policy, ATA and executive director, ATA Action said in a statement. “This is a pivotal moment for Congress to act and secure a bipartisan win, while taking much-needed steps to modernize our healthcare system. The ATA pledges to continue to do all we can to work with our Congressional telehealth champions to secure passage of telehealth provisions as soon as possible.”