The Alliance for Connected Care and American Telemedicine Association are among a group of virtual care advocates urging CMS to waive telehealth restrictions during national emergencies such as the coronavirus outbreak, according to Politco's Feb. 28 Morning eHealth newsletter.
The Alliance for Connected Care, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit group that advocates for telehealth and remote patient monitoring legislation, sent a letter to House and Senate leaders this week requesting telehealth visits to be covered in traditional Medicare during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Alliance for Connected Care urged lawmakers to include a provision lifted from the bipartisan Connect for Health Act in the COVID-19 supplemental budget legislation.
"Including this provision in the upcoming supplemental legislation will encourage health systems and others to leverage telehealth in their communities, allowing for critical care connections," the Alliance's letter states. "This expanded capacity will help preserve access to in-person care for those in critical need and allow the majority of initial screenings to happen outside of the hospital."
The ATA, eHealth initiative, and Partnership for Artificial Intelligence, Automation and Robotics in Healthcare also all support the provision in the budget funding, according to the report.