The American Telemedicine Association says it expects bipartisan support for telehealth and virtual care services to continue through the final days of the Biden Administration and the transition to the Trump Administration on January 20, 2025. 

But ATA is once again urging Congressional leaders to officially extend telehealth flexibilities before the close of 2024.

WHY IT MATTERS

Making primary care, behavioral health and other care services available by telehealth during the pandemic has changed the way providers practice across the world. But without regulatory changes soon, flexibilities will run out in the U.S. that would result in Medicare and many private insurance patients losing access to virtual care services they've come to rely on.

"It is our sincere hope that Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle act swiftly to advance a bill extending telehealth flexibilities and get it to President Biden’s desk for signature before year-end," said Kyle Zebley, senior vice president of public policy, the ATA and executive director of ATA Action in a post-election statement.

Patients and healthcare providers need certainty that pathways to care provided by telehealth, which has become a hallmark of a modern healthcare delivery system, will remain long-term, he said.

"We cannot understate the urgency of extending these flexibilities in order to avoid interrupting needed and often life-saving care for millions of patients," said Zebley. 

ATA and ATA Action, a nonprofit trade organization, also said that beyond a policy extension, they're committed to working with federal government policymakers to expand virtual care access going forward. 

"President-elect Trump and his administration were strong proponents of telehealth during his first stay in the White House," said Zebley. "We are looking forward to working with Trump administration to ensure that access to needed care continues to be available to all Americans and that telehealth services become a permanent part of healthcare delivery in our country."

THE LARGER TREND

The ATA and ATA Action previously noted that, without Congressional action before January 1, 2025, regulations governing providers' use of telehealth will be greatly scaled back as broader access to telehealth services under the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2023 will end.

In August, the groups sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid that asked for an extension or legislative change to make telehealth allowances in the 2025 Physician Fee Schedule permanent. 

"These outdated limitations would undo over a half-decade of meaningful and substantial progress, and reverting to these old restrictions will severely hamper access to telehealth services that millions of Americans now rely on," Zebley said then.

While CMS has limited authority to preserve telehealth flexibilities, it did finalize new Advanced Primary Care Management codes for 2025, a step some payer industry leaders could lead to hybrid primary care payment under Medicare. Medical groups, however, protest annual payment cuts for physicians.

Additional issues, like expanded licensure flexibilities that allow providers to treat patients in other states and a registry for the prescribing of controlled substances via telemedicine, are still being worked out on the federal level.

Of note, other nations are moving ahead with telehealth in the post-pandemic era, like China, which is developing standards for virtual primary care.

ON THE RECORD

"Our thanks to the Biden-Harris administration, which also demonstrated unwavering support for telehealth over the past four years," Zebley said in a statement.

Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.