Urging Senate Leaders to Prioritize Telehealth

There have been over 100 organizations that have signed the following letter, including the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The expanded access to virtual care during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) is not only preferred by patients but has also enabled healthcare workers to break through previous barriers and reach patients they couldn't before.

Until the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency ends, there have been temporary 90 day extensions to telehealth.  This causes uncertainty in our health care system. Thus, providers must weigh the costs of investing in the technological and clinical infrastructure required to maintain telehealth programs at scale against the uncertainty of when these telehealth policies may end. Of particular concern are the patients who utilize telehealth to reach experts at longer distances, for access to mental and behavioral health practitioners, and those receiving continual remote care for chronic conditions.

Without statutory certainty for remote care, building infrastructure, trust, and relationships with these communities is beginning to stall. The Senate’s actions this fall can ensure certainty for telehealth services. As demonstrated by the House, which passed the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act (H.R. 4040) by a vote of 416-12, telehealth is an overwhelmingly bipartisan issue.  

The Senate should act to pass a two-year extension of these important telehealth policies while continuing to push for a permanent extension, which includes provisions to lift provider and patient location limitations, remove in-person requirements for telemental health, ensure continued access to clinically appropriate controlled substances without in-person requirements, and increase access to telehealth services in the commercial market.

It is of utmost importance to ensure that communities across the nation will have access to healthcare whenever and wherever they need it.