The Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act aims to expand telemedicine use to improve patient care. The American Medical Association has voiced its support of the bill, pointing out research that suggests its passage into law could save U.S. healthcare nearly $1.8 billion over a 10-year period.
"This bill shows Congress at its best — combining deep thinking, hard work, compromise and bipartisanship," Steven Stack, MD, president of the AMA, said in a statement. "In the end, the bill could improve health outcomes and save money. We look forward to working with other supporters to advance this important legislation in Congress."
The bill would eliminate location-based reimbursements currently mandated by Medicare that place limitations on the remote care providers give patients through telemedicine visits. Additionally, it would enable telemedicine coverage under Medicare Advantage plans.
The AMA says the legislation could remove barriers to new models of healthcare delivery, make care more available for hard-to-reach populations and create a better standard of care for electronic visits, according to the statement.