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August 3, 2020

The Honorable Mike Thompson
406 Cannon House Office Building
Washington DC, 20515

The Honorable David Schweikert
1526 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Peter Welch
2187 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Bill Johnson
2336 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Doris Matsui
2311 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Representatives Thompson, Welch, Matsui, Schweikert, and Johnson: 

Thank you for your continued leadership on telehealth as leaders of the House Telehealth Caucus. The undersigned organizations are pleased to support your recently introduced legislation, the Protecting Access to Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Act of 2020 (HR 7663). This legislation takes critical steps toward ensuring all Medicare beneficiaries have continued access to telehealth services after the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) period. 

For nearly 20 years, Medicare statute has severely limited telehealth services while other payers increasingly relied on telehealth to provide care to patients when and where they need it. This disparity became shockingly clear when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and in-person care was not an option for most patients. While Congress and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) acted quickly to implement waivers to allow for the reimbursement of telehealth services during the COVID- 19 PHE, seniors will lose access to this important care unless Congress again takes decisive action. 

According to preliminary data from CMS, in the last week of April, nearly 1.7 million Medicare beneficiaries utilized telehealth services versus 13,000 per week prior to the PHE.[1] Utilization did not significantly vary across geographical location (rural vs. urban), sex, race, or ethnicity.[2] Health care systems, providers, and the federal government (via grants) invested heavily in telehealth over the past few months to ensure their patients can continue to receive necessary care. There is no longer doubt that clinicians and patients alike benefit from the utilization of telehealth; however, whether these services can continue to be utilized widely after the PHE depends on further action from Congress. 

If passed, the Protecting Access to Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Act of 2020 will provide CMS the authority and ability to make evidenced-based decisions to ensure all Medicare beneficiaries continue to have access to these important services. The legislation includes four major and vital provisions to this end: 

  • Removing arbitrary geographic restrictions on where a patient must be located in order to utilize telehealth services;
  • Enabling patients to continue to receive telehealth services in their homes;
  • Ensuring federally qualified health centers and rural health centers can furnish telehealth services; and
    • Establishing permanent waiver authority for the Secretary of Health & Human Services during future emergency periods and for 90 days after the expiration of a public health emergency period. 

Thank you for your continued leadership and we look forward to working with you to ensure the

Protecting Access to Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Act of 2020 becomes law.

Sincerely,

98point6 Inc. LeadingAge
Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) Legal Action Center Leidos
Adventist Health León Concierge Medicine
AGMP Telehealth Lewy Body Dementia Association
Allergy & Asthma Network LifePoint Health
Alliance for Aging Research LifeWIRE Corp
Alliance for Connected Care LiV-Connected
Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy Livongo
Alliance of Community Health Plans Maury Regional Health
ALS Association Medical Group Management Association
Alzheimer's Foundation of America MediTelecare
Amazon Web Services MedStar Health
American Academy of Family Physicians MEDWEB
American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine Meetcaregivers
American Academy of Neurology Mend VIP, Inc.
American Academy of PAs Miles for Migraine
American Association for Respiratory Care MindPath Care Centers, PLLC
American Association of Nurse Practitioners Minnesota HIMSS Chapter
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Mount Sinai Health System
American College of Physicians MUSC Health
American Geriatrics Society mvmtAi inc.
American Heart Association National Association of ACOs
American Nurses Association National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
American Pharmacists Association National Association of Rural Health Clinics
American Psychological Association National Association of Social Workers
American Society of Pediatric Nephrology National Council of State Boards of Nursing
American Telemedicine Association National Headache Foundation
American Urological Association National League for Nursing
Amwell National Organization for Rare Disorders
AspenRidge Recovery National Patient Advocate Foundation
Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness Neighborhood Service Organization
Association of Departments of Family Medicine Net Medical Xpress
Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies, Inc.
Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors NewWave Telecom & Technologies
At Your Service Psychiatry, PLLC NextGen Healthcare
athenahealth North American Primary Care Research Group
Avenu Healthcare Services Babylon OCHIN
Bay Rivers Telehealth Oncology Nursing Society
Alliance Beacon Medical Group, Inc. One Medical
Bear River Mental Health Services, Inc. Palmetto Care Connections
Better Medicare Alliance PAs in Virtual Medicine and Telemedicine
Brave Health Pathways
bright.md PCHAlliance
California Health Information Partnership & Services Organization (CalHIPSO) Primary Care Collaborative
California Psychological Association Providence St. Joseph Health
Care Home By RNs Caregility Psychotherapy Action Network (PsiAN)
Center to Advance Palliative Care Centerstone PursueCare
Change Healthcare QueerDoc, PLLC   
Cheyenne Regional Medical Center Qure4u, Inc
ChristianaCare Quio Technologies
CHRISTUS Health Chronic Care Management RediClinic, LLC
Chronic Migraine Awareness, Inc. CirrusMD Inc. Residential Eating Disorders Consortium
Cleveland Clinic Florida and CompreCare Affiliate RethinkMyHealthcare
Clusterbusters Rhinogram, LLC
Cognova, LLC Royal Philips
College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) School Based Urgent Care Network 
Columbia University Irving Medical Center Senior Care Clinic House Calls
Comprehensive Headache Clinic Shatterproof
Consumer Technology Association SHIELDS For Families
Convenient Care Association COPD Foundation Society of General Internal Medicine Society of Teachers of Family Medicine
Cosan Group Sound Physicians
Covenant HealthCare South Carolina Primary Health Care Association 
CoverMyMeds Southern Headache Society
Cromford Health Spectrum Health
CU Healthcare Innovation Fund Spina Bifida Association
Curve Health Stanford Health Care
Danielle Byron Henry Migraine Foundation Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative (SHIEC)
Diabetes Management Partners DBA GlyCare Strategic Interests
Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition (DPAC) Strategic Solutions
Digital Medicine Society (DiMe) Suquino Inc
Doctor On Demand DocViaWeb Sutter Health
doxy.me Synergia Integrated teleBehavioral Health
Dr. Austin Roberts Family And Implant Dentistry Duke Health Talkspace
Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action TapestryHealth
eHealth Initiative Teladoc Health
Electronic Health Record Association Endocrine Society Telehealth Alliance of Oregon
Epic Systems Corporation TeleMed2U
ExamMed The ERISA Industry Committee
Federation of American Hospitals The Headache and Migraine Policy Forum
Foothold Technology The Joint Commission
Four Corners Community Behavioral Health Inc. The MAVEN Project
Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association (GAPNA) The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
GlobalMed The TeleDentists
GlobalMedia Group, LLC DBA The University of Texas at Austin, UT Health Austin 
GlobalMed GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer Third Eye Health, Inc.
Go2Care Tir Health Advisors LLC 
Greenway Health, LLC Tourette Association of America
Hazel Health Trinity Health
HCA Healthcare Health Catalyst, Inc. United Spinal Association
Health Innovation Alliance University of Michigan
Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC)
Healthcare Leadership Council University of San Diego
HealthFlow.io University Spine & Sports Specialists, PLLC
Hims & Hers HiTalk URAC
Holland Healthcare Validic, Inc.
Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) VirtuOx
HSH Lifestyles, LLC Vital Voice and Speech
inHealth Lifestyle Therapeutics, Inc. ViTel Net
InSight + Regroup Welcome Home Health, Inc.
Intel Corporation Wendy M Smith and Associates
International OCD Foundation Xylo Technologies Inc
Johns Hopkins Medicine Yale New Haven Health System
KJ Solutions Yorktel
Langlois Medical Corporation Ziegler
Leadership OD Zocdoc

[1] www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20200715.454789/full/

[2]  Ibid