A commerce affiliation centered on telehealth advocacy continues to help efforts in Congress to increase lots of the Medicare telehealth flexibilities enacted through the pandemic which are as a result of expire on Dec. 31, 2024. These embody the Acute Hospital Care at Dwelling waiver flexibilities and the flexibility to prescribe clinically acceptable managed substances remotely.
ATA Motion, the American Telemedicine Affiliation’s affiliated commerce group, stated it’s strongly supportive of the bipartisan Telehealth Modernization Act of 2024 (H.R. 7623), laws that may lengthen many Medicare telehealth flexibilities by way of the top of 2026.
“These provisions play an important position in increasing entry to look after sufferers no matter geographic location and permit a broader vary of healthcare professionals to offer telehealth providers. We firmly endorse postponement of the arbitrary in-person requirement for telemental well being providers, which might disrupt the 80% of Medicare beneficiaries who’ve chosen to see their suppliers nearly with out an in-person go to,” stated Kyle Zebley, senior vp, public coverage on the ATA and govt director of ATA Motion, in an announcement.
“Additional, ATA Motion strongly helps the five-year extension of the revolutionary and demanding Acute Hospital Care at Dwelling Program, recognizing its worth in decreasing hospital overcrowding and offering sufferers with the consolation and security of receiving hospital-level care of their houses. Though we consider these provisions needs to be everlasting, we perceive the present dynamics and help a two-year extension,” Zebley added.
ATA Motion is asking Congress to incorporate a two-year extension of distant prescribing flexibilities for managed substances within the upcoming end-of-year legislative package deal. “If left unaddressed, this problem might create dire penalties,” stated Zebley. “We urgently request that Congress press the DEA to maintain these important flexibilities by issuing a particular registration proposed rule and increasing the present waivers for 2 extra years, alongside different Medicare telehealth flexibilities. With restricted time left within the yr, prescribers, sufferers, and stakeholders usually are not outfitted to adapt to a brand new rule instantly.”
