Federal Activity

Federal Legislative Tracker

The report chart tracks critical state legislation ATA Action supports, supports with amendments, and opposes.    

Top Legislative Policy Priorities

This chart outlines the ATA and ATA Action’s 118th Congressional legislative policy priorities.

Stakeholder Letter

ATA Action signed onto a stakeholder letter urging CMS to expedite the development of permanent policy regarding telehealth practitioners’ location reporting requirements. The letter emphasizes the need for privacy protections for virtual-only providers and proposes alternate solutions, such as using business addresses or geographic indicators, to ensure continued access to care without compromising provider safety

Statement for the Record to the House Energy & Commerce Committee

ATA Action submitted a statement for the record to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, expressing support for the bipartisan Telehealth Modernization Act of 2024 (H.R. 7623), which aims to extend Medicare telehealth flexibilities through 2026. The statement highlights the importance of these provisions in expanding access to care, particularly for mental health services, and urges Congress to maintain these flexibilities to prevent disruptions in patient care. Additionally, ATA Action emphasized the need for the DEA to issue a special registration rule to continue the remote prescribing of controlled substances, warning of a potential public health crisis if current waivers are not extended.

Letter to House Leadership

Over 300 organizations signed onto a letter requesting that Congress extend virtual prescribing flexibilities for two years

Letter to Senate Leadership

Over 300 organizations signed onto a letter requesting that Congress extend virtual prescribing flexibilities for two years

Letter to White House Domestic Policy Council

Over 300 organizations signed onto a letter requesting the Administration to work with the DEA and other relevant agencies to extend prescribing flexibilities for two years while the DEA works to meet its congressional mandate to create a special registration pathway that continues access to care

Letter to CMS

ATA Action Comments on the CY2025 Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule (CMS-1807-P)

Stakeholder letter

Stakeholders sent a letter to leadership urging them to act before the release of the final Physican Fee Schedule Rule to ensure certainty and alignment of statutory and regulatory policies.

Stakeholder letter

Over 30 organizations sent a letter to the Energy and Commerce Committee in support of waiving the telemental health 6 month in-person requirement.

One Pager

See here for a document dispelling the top myths about telehealth.

Letter to FTC

The ATA and ATA Action submitted comments in response to the FTC’s healthcare consolidation request for information.

Letter to Leadership

ATA Action sent a letter to House and Senate leadership in support of the Affordability Connectivity Program.

Letter to Committee

ATA Action submitted a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee expressing concerns with the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA).

Statement for the Record

The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee held a markup that included a two-year telehealth extension.

Clinician Letter

Over 380 clinicians sent a letter to DEA urging them to release a proposed rule on the remote prescribing of controlled substances.

Statement for the Record

ATA Action submitted a statement for the record in support of the Ways and Means Committee two-year telehealth extension.

Statement for the Record

ATA submitted a statement for the record in response to the House Energy and Commerce Telehealth Subcommittee hearing this week.

Stakeholder letter

Over 200 stakeholders sent a letter to the DEA urging requesting the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to issue a revised proposed rule to regulate the prescribing of controlled substances through telehealth as soon as possible to ensure adequate time for patients to continue existing care.

Letter to CMS

ATA & the Alliance for Connect Care sent a letter to CMS on the COVID-19 pandemic virtual cardiac rehabilitation flexibility.

Statement for the Record

ATA Action submitted a statement for the record in response to the recent Ways and Means health care at home hearing.

Telehealth Integrity

ATA published a document that outlines current federal and state mechanisms and guardrails in place to protect consumers, oversee providers, and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse. The document also describes inappropriate guardrails that would impede access to care.

Letter to CMS

In advance of the CY2025 Physican Fee Schedule rulemaking process, the ATA and ATA Action sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that outlines its telehealth policy recommendations and urges CMS to work with Congress to determine timing of their action on the policies that require statutory change.

Group Statement

ATA along with 20 other groups signed a statement that was sent to the DEA urging them to address the geographic red flag issue in telemedicine prescribing of controlled substances rulemaking.

Stakeholder Letter

Over 200 organizations signed a letter urging Congress to act on telehealth sooner rather than later.

Stakeholder Letter

Over 20 organizations signed a stakeholder letter in support of the SHARE Act.

Comment Letter

ATA & ATA Action submitted comments to CMS in response to the Medicare Advantage CY2025 proposed rule.

Stakeholder

The ATA along with 59 other organizations sent a letter to CMS asking them to update prior telehealth guidance to states to better communicate provider enrollment requirements under current law, identify where states have authority to modernize, and provide recommendations that would harmonize enrollment requirements, reduce regulatory and administrative burden, and enhance Medicaid provider networks.

ATA Action Letter

ATA Action letter in support of the Telehealth Response for E-prescribing Addiction Therapy Services Act (TREATS) Act (S.3193, H.R. 5163).

Letter to Leadership

The ATA sent a letter to the new Speaker of the House and Minority Leader outlining its top policy priorities.

Statement for the Record

The ATA submitted a state for the record in advance of the Senate Finance Health Subcommittee hearing on telehealth.

PFS Comparison Chart

ATA CY2024 Physican Fee Schedule comparison chart to proposed and final rule.

Stakeholder Letter

This stakeholder letter with over 90 signees was sent to leadership in support of making permanent the Telehealth Expansion Act.

ATA Action Comments

ATA Action responded to CMS’ nursing home staffing proposed rule.

Stakeholder Letter

Over 110 stakeholders requested that CMS make permanent the extension of the COVID-19 flexibility, currently set to expire at the end of CY2023, that allows providers who rendered telehealth services from their homes to list their practice address instead of their home address within box 32 of the CMS 1500 form. Additionally, the letter requests that CMS allow virtual-only providers to list a geographic indicator such as zip code instead of their full address.

ATA Action Comments

ATA Action submitted a comment letter in response to the Department of Labor (DoL), Health and Human Services (HHS), and Treasury mental health parity proposed rule, intended to improve access to in-network mental health care providers and remove barriers that may delay access to care and treatment.

Comments in Response to Request for Information

ATA Action submitted comments in response to the House Budget Committee’s Request for Information (RFI).

ATA Action Comments

ATA Action submitted comments in response to the House Ways and Means committee request for information: Improving Access to Health Care in Rural and Underserved Areas.

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Response to RFI

ATA Action responds to Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Request for Information.

ATA Action Comments

ATA Action submitted comments in response to Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Artificial Intelligence White Paper.

Stakeholder letter

Over 30 organizations signed onto a letter to congressional leadership urging the passage of the Telehealth Benefit Expansion for Workers Act of 2023 (H.R.824) before the end of CY2023.

ATA Action Recommendations

ATA Action recommendations to the Drug Enforcement Administration on a special registration process.

Comment Letter

ATA Action submitted comments in response to the FDA’s Centers for Devices and Radiological Health (CDHR) request for information on important topics such as digital health technologies, home-based models, and diagnostics.

PFS Comment Letter

ATA Action submitted industry leading comments in response to the CY2024 physician fee schedule proposed rule.

Stakeholder Letter

A group of stakeholders sent a letter to provide consensus input to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on its proposed transitional coverage for emerging technologies (TCET) coverage pathway.

Comments to FTC

ATA Action comments on the FTC’s health breach notification rule expressing concerns about the proposed updates.

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ATA Action Permanency Chart

This chart outlines the telehealth flexibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic and ATA Action’s recommendations for permanent policy.

ATA Action Proposed Rule Comments

ATA Action submitted comments in response to the Medicaid and CHIP managed care proposed rule.

DEA FAQs

This document addresses frequently asked questions on the DEA’s temporary rule on the prescription of controlled substances for patients, providers, pharmacists and other likeminded stakeholders.

Medicare Chart

This chart outlines the Medicare Part B telehealth policy deadlines.

Stakeholder letter

The ATA joined other likeminded stakeholders in supporting full funding for HRSA’s Office for the Advancement of Telehealth, which includes Telehealth Resource Centers.

ATA Action Letter

ATA Action signed a stakeholder letter supporting the Telehealth Benefit Expansion for Workers Act of 2023 (H.R. 824), which would amend the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income and Security Act of 1974, and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to treat telehealth services as excepted benefits.

ATA Action Letter

ATA Action submitted comments in response to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)’s proposed rules regarding expansion of induction of buprenorphine via telemedicine

ATA Action Letter

ATA Action submitted comments regarding the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)’s proposed rules regarding telemedicine prescribing of controlled substances when the practitioner and the patient have not had a prior in-person medical evaluation.

ATA Action Letter

The ATA sent a comment letter regarding the Multi-Jurisdictional Contractor Advisory Committee (CAC) Meeting on Remote Physiologic Monitoring (RPM) and Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) for Non-implantable Devices on February 28, 2023.

ATA Action Letter

ATA Action wrote a letter to CMS regarding the 2024 Medicare Advantage and Part D Advance Notice

ATA Action Letter

ATA signed on to a collaborative letter to express concern over proposed risk adjustment changes jeopardizing progress made in advancing health equity, preventing disease progression, and delivering high-value, high-quality care.

ATA Action Letter

The ATA and the Alliance for Connected Care sent a letter regarding the Multi-Jurisdictional Contractor Advisory Committee (CAC) Meeting on Remote Physiologic Monitoring (RPM) and Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) for Non-implantable Devices on February 28, 2023.

ATA Action Letter

ATA Action submitted a letter to CMS in response to the proposed rule: Patient Protection and the Affordable Care Act, HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters of 2024.

Comments in Response to Request for Information

ATA Action submitted comments to CMS in response to the request for information related to Essential Health Benefits (EHB)

Timeline of the ATA’s DEA/Ryan Haight Actions

This chart lays out a timeline of the ATA’s actions pertaining to the Ryan Haight Act.

Utilization of Telehealth

This document lays out a compilation of stats related to telehealth utilization as of 12.8.22

ATA Action Letter to CMS

ATA Action sent a letter urging CMS to allow providers to report the practice location that they are associated with when billing for telehealth services, rather than requiring them to publicly report their home address as their practice location.

ATA Top EOY Priorities

This chart outlines ATA’s top EOY telehealth legislative priorities.

Stakeholder letter

Over 350 organizations sent a letter to Congress urging them to extend the Telehealth provision that provides employers the flexibility to offer their employees with a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) paired with a Health Savings Account (HSA) access to telehealth services pre-deductible.

Stakeholder Letter

The ATA, ATA Action and 113 other organizations sent a letter to the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Attorney General’s office urging them to act before the Public Health Emergency (PHE) expires and outlining multiple short-term actions that they could take immediately to ensure millions of patients are able to continue receiving treatment where and when they need it until the promulgation of the Special Registration for Telemedicine Rules.

CY2023 PFS Final Rule

The ATA created a chart outlining the key changes in the CY2023 Medicare PFS final rule.

Comments in Response to Request for Information

The ATA and ATA Action submitted comments to CMS on their Make Your Voices Heard Request for Information.

Stakeholder Letter

The ATA and ATA Action signed on to a stakeholder letter with other likeminded stakeholders urging Congress to extend the Medicare telehealth flexibilities through the end of 2024 in an end of year package.

Federal Legislative Tracker

This chart tracks critical Federal telehealth legislation and outlines ATA Action’s Federal priorities in the 117th Congress. ATA Action’s 2022 top federal legislative priorities document identifies specific bills that, if enacted, would ensure we avoid the telehealth cliff.

ATA Recommendations

ATA’s federal and state recommendations on the Acute Hospital Care at Home Program.

ATA Action Comment Letter to VA

ATA Action submitted comments on the VA’s recent proposed rule “Health Professionals Practicing via Telehealth”.

ATA Action Comment Letter to HHS

ATA Action submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 1557 nondiscrimination rule.

Hospice Stakeholder Letter

The ATA and ATA Action signed onto a stakeholder letter along with 15 other organizations urging Congress to require CMS to expand access to hospice care.

Stakeholder Letter

The ATA, ATA Action, and other likeminded organizations co-led a stakeholder letter with over 370 signees urging the Senate to act this fall to ensure certainty for telehealth services.

MA Request for Information

The ATA and ATA Action submitted comments on CMS Medicare Advantage request for information.

Comments on CY2023 PFS

The ATA and ATA Action submitted comments on the CY2023 Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule.

Comment Letter

The ATA and ATA Action commented on the CY2023 Home Health proposed rule.

Response to Request for Information

The ATA and ATA Action responded to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) Primary Care request for information.

ATA Recommendations

This one-pager describes the history of Medicare Advantage (MA), how telehealth has evolved within MA, and outlines the ATA’s telehealth recommendations to CMS within MA.

July 15, 2022

ATA Policy FAQs

ATA's Policy FAQs

This document outlines the answers to the most frequently asked telehealth policy questions.

ATA Recommmendations

This documents describes the history, current state of play, and problem with the Ryan Haight Act and outlines the ATA’s recommendations on ensuring appropriate treatment and protecting patients through online prescribing.

Stakeholder Letter

The ATA and ATA Action helped to lead a stakeholder letter with 60 signees in support for permanently allowing telehealth services to be treated as an excepted benefit.

ATA Action Letter to Senate Approps

ATA Action sent a letter of support to the Senate Appropriations Labor Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittee in support of the HRSA Office for the Advancement of Telehealth (OAT) programs.

ATA Action Letter to Senate Finance

ATA Action sent comments to the Senate Finance Committee on the telemental health discussion draft.

ATA/ATA Action Letter to Administration

ATA Action and ATA sent a letter urging the Administration to extend the Public Health Emergency.

ATA Action and ATA Comments on RFI

ATA Action and the ATA responded to the Medicaid and CHIP request for information.

ATA Letter to CMS

The ATA met with CMS at the end of March for a second time to discuss RPM/RTM policy challenges.

RFI Comment Letter to OSTP

The ATA and ATA Action submitted comments on the Connected Health Request for Information to the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

ATA Action Comments to CMS

ATA Action comments on Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Calendar Year 2023 Medicare Advantage proposed rule.

Stakeholder Letter to DEA

ATA Action, the American Telemedicine Association, the American Psychiatric Association and 69 other organizations sent a letter DEA and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to permanently waive the requirement that patients receive an in-person evaluation prior to being prescribed controlled substances via telemedicine.

ATA Action Comments to House WnM

ATA Action sent comments to the House Ways and Means Committee in advance of the March 2nd hearing on Substance Use, Suicide Risk, and the American Health System.

Recent Telehealth Stats

ATA Action published a document of recent telehealth stats relating to patients, providers, and health plans.

ATA Action Comments on RFI

ATA Action responded to the Modernization Subcommittee Healthy Task Force request for information (RFI).

ATA Recommendations to CMS

The ATA sent recommendations into CMS on RPM and RTM for their consideration for calendar year 2023 Physician Fee Schedule.

ATA Action Letter to House Ways and Means Committee

In advance of the House Ways and Means mental hearing on February 2nd, ATA Action sent telehealth recommendations on addressing barriers to mental health to the committee for their consideration.

ATA ACTION LETTER TO Senate Appropriations Subcommittee

In advance of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies broadband hearing on February 1st, ATA Action sent  recommendations on broadband expansion funding programs.

ATA Actions Response to RFI

ATA Action submitted comments in response to the Affordability subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force request for information.

ATA Action Comments on NTIA RFI

ATA Action submitted comments in response to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) request for information (RFI) regarding the Broadband Programs in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

ATA Action Letter to Senate HELP Committee

In advance of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee mental health and substance use disorder hearing on February 1st, ATA Action sent telehealth recommendations on addressing barriers to mental health to the committee for their consideration.

Telehealth Stakeholder Letter

The ATA along with 335 organizations sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging them to authorize the continuation of all current telehealth waivers through the end of 2024, require HHS to complete all feasible evaluations related to telehealth by fall of 2023 and combine all findings into one overarching dashboard with recommendations, and take up permanent, evidence-based telehealth legislation for implementation in 2024.

ATA Action Comments to HHS

ATA Action submitted comments s in response to the proposed rule “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2023.”

ATA Comments to DEA

The ATA submitted comments on the Drug Enforcement Agency’s telepharmacy practice advanced notice of proposed rulemaking.

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ATA Letter to Chairman Doggett

The ATA sent a letter to Chairman Doggett that outlines the provisions within the Telehealth Extension Act (H.R. 6202) that the ATA strongly supports, as well as those that could be improved.  

ATA Call to Actions

This ATA document outlines the challenges with vaccine trails and outlines different call to actions to HHS on the facilitation of multi-site, multi-state and decentralized clinical trails.

ATA Chart

The ATA created a chart that compares the telehealth policies in the PFS proposed rule to the ATA’s industry leading comments to the telehealth policies included in the PFS final rule.

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ATA Recommendations to Congress

The ATA responded to the Senate Finance Committee’s mental health request for information.

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ATA Letter to HHS

The ATA submitted comments to HHS on their draft strategic plan for 2022 and 2026 specifically on Goals 1 and 2.

Stakeholder Letter to Congressional Leaders

The ATA along with 48 organizations sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging the them to consider making permanent the current policies that allow telehealth and remote care services to be treated as an excepted benefit.

ATA Recommendations

This document describes the history and current state of play of interstate licensure and outlines the ATA’s recommendations on enabling healthcare delivery across state lines.

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Stakeholder Letter

The ATA along with 69 other organizations sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging them to extend the virtual care provisions included in the CARES Act for individuals with HDHP-HSAs before the Dec. 31 expiration.

ATA Letter to HHS

The ATA sent a letter to Secretary Becerra urging the Administration to indicate the expected duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency and recommends the PHE and its flexibilities continue at least through the end of the calendar year 2022.

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Tele-Rehabilitation Policy Principles and Priorities

The ATA, AOTA, APTA, and the ASHA have created a document outlining their shared priorities that are multi-pronged and include legislative, regulatory, and state-based advocacy efforts. These organizations are working with policymakers to support legislation that will promote access to care, mitigate risks associated with COVID-19, and ensure sustainability of telehealth services beyond the pandemic.

ATA's 2022 PFS Comments

On September 1, 2021 the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) submitted detailed comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid on the CY 2022 Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule. The ATA’s comments largely focus on a few key issues, including access to telemental health services, extension of Category 3 services, remote physiologic monitoring, remote therapeutic monitoring, and additional topics.

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ATA Statement

The ATA urges Congress to make permanent the telehealth flexibilities implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic by passing critical legislation outlined throughout this statement to ensure Medicare beneficiaries have continued access to all telehealth services, including ocular, after the Public Health Emergency (PHE).

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Multi-Stakeholder Letter to Congress

The ATA along with 430 organizations sent a letter to Congress outlining our priorities for permanent telehealth reform post COVID-19.

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ATA Overview of In-Person Requirments

This document provides an overview of clinically unnecessary in-person requirements, urging Congress to not consider them to ensure patients have adequate access to telehealth.

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ATA Testimony

The ATA submitted testimony for the Senate Finance Committee hearing entitled COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspective, Experiences, and Lessons Learned on May 19, 2021.

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FY2022 PFS

The ATA sent a letter to Secretary Xavier Becerra and Acting Administrator Liz Richter commenting on Remote Physiological Monitoring (RPM) access in advance of the CY2022 Physician Fee Schedule.

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Written Testimony

The ATA submitted a written testimony to the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health for their hearing on Charting a Path Forward for Telehealth on April 28th.

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The ATA and 16 other organizations signed a letter urging CMS to use its emergency authority to expand access to virtual diabetes prevention programs in the Medicare program.

ATA Informational Document

This document provides an overview of section 3701 of the CARES Act, which created a temporary safe harbor that allows HDHPs with a health savings account (HSA) to cover telehealth and remote care services. Further, the document outlines the importance of Congress permanently extending the HDHP & HSA telehealth safe harbor.

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ATA Program Integrity

The ATA sent an overview to Congressional staffers on program integrity which describes the advantages of telehealth, how “telefraud” is not telehealth, and the characteristics of legitimate telehealth providers.

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ATA Letter to Congress

The ATA sent a letter to Congress urging them to include permanent telehealth reforms and a number of targeted telehealth provisions in any subsequent COVID-19 relief legislation to ensure Americans do not lose access to care.

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ATA Letter to MedPAC

The ATA sent a letter to MedPAC in response to our meeting in December 2020 to provide additional information to help inform MedPAC’s policy recommendations to Congress.

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ATA Federal Tracker 116th Congress

This chart tracked critical Federal telehealth legislation and outlined ATA’s Federal priorities at the end of the 116th Congress.

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ATA Response to RFI Regulatory Relief to Support Economic Recovery

The ATA responds to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Request for Information (RFI) on Regulatory Relief to Support Economic Recovery.

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ATA Response to HHS RFI

The ATA responds to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Request for Information (RFI) on Leveraging Novel Technologies for Chronic Disease Management for Aging Underserved Populations.

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ATA Letter to President-Elect

The ATA wrote to President-Election Biden and his transition team to share the ATA’s core policy principles and to offer the ATA as a resource as they begin to consider telehealth policies.

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Letter to Congress

The ATA helped to lead a letter urging leaders of Congress to include telehealth in the end of the year package and strongly support, in absence of permanent reform, an extension of the temporary telehealth flexibilities until the end of 2021.

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ATA'S MCIT COMMENTS

In a November 2 letter American Telemedicine Association (ATA) CEO Ann Mond Johnson submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on how the agency can use its regulatory authority to expand access to and directly cover digital health technologies that are not traditionally covered by Medicare.

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ATA's 2021 PFS Comments

In a September 24 letter American Telemedicine Association (ATA) CEO Ann Mond Johnson submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on the CY 2021 Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule strongly supporting increased access to telehealth services in the Medicare program, including for underserved populations.

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Permanency Chart

The ATA published a chart outlining the telehealth flexibilities during COVID-19 and the ATA’s recommendations for permanent telehealth policy.

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Protecting Access to Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Act of 2020

The ATA helped lead a letter thanking congressional House Telehealth Caucus members for their continued leadership. The letter, dated August 3, 2020, noted the broad telehealth industry support for recently introduced legislation, the Protecting Access to Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Act of 2020 (HR 7663).

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COVID-19 Supplemental Appropriation

ATA submitted recommendations to Congress on measures to facilitate the use of telehealth and expand the use of virtual care by health care providers during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

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COVID-19: ATA Recommendations to HHS & CMS

As follow up to the ATA’s March 13 recommendations, the ATA provided HHS and CMS with recommendations on additional actions that would further support health care providers seeking to provide telehealth services in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

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H.R.748 - CARES Act

ATA submitted recommendations to Congress on measures to facilitate the use of telehealth and expand the use of virtual care by health care providers during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

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ATA Recommendations to the Administration on the COVID-19 Response

ATA submitted recommendations to the Administration on actions that can immediately be taken to facilitate the use of telehealth and expand the use of virtual care by health care providers during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

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H.R.6201 - Families First Coronavirus Response Act

ATA, along with a number of health care stakeholders, submitted a follow up letter urging Congress to address barriers that were built into the telehealth waiver provision of the Coronavirus Supplemental Appropriation that are preventing health care providers from fully leveraging and scaling critical telehealth services needed to combat COVID-19.

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COVID-19 Supplemental Appropriation

ATA CEO Ann Mond Johnson submitted a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services urging them to leverage the telehealth waiver authority provided under H.R.6074, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020. This waiver removes telehealth geographic site restrictions for Medicare beneficiaries, providing critical access to care for patients affected by COVID-19.

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H.R.6074 - Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020

ATA, along with a number of health care stakeholders, submitted a letter urging Congress to expand access to telehealth services in the COVID-19 supplemental appropriation and provide the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) with the authority to waive existing Medicare restrictions on telehealth visits during a public health emergency.

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"Cures 2.0" Legislative Framework

The ATA shared feedback with leaders in Congress as work begins on a framework for a “Cures 2.0” legislative package that would build and expand on reforms included in the 21st Century Cures Act, passed in December 2016.

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H.R. 6353

ATA, along with a number of healthcare stakeholders, submitted a letter with comments on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) implementation of a Special Registration provision for telemedicine under the Ryan Haight Act.

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Public Law 114-145

ATA commends the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation for seeking input on how to ensure legitimate access to controlled substances while also preventing diversion and abuse. This issue is very important to our members and we appreciate being able to provide feedback and recommendations.

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Connect for Health Act

The ATA submitted recommendations to Congress for comprehensive telehealth reform and urged Congressional leaders to address barriers to telehealth in Medicare.

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H.R. 6353

In response to the mandate from H.R. 6, the ATA convened a special member workgroup within its Telebehavioral Health Special Interest Group. The workgroup developed five recommendations for how a special registration process could be structured to enable the safe prescribing of certain controlled substances via telehealth.

October 23, 2018

RUSH Act

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H.R. 6502

The ATA supports legislative efforts to expand access to telehealth services, which we believe will improve patient outcomes, patients and provider satisfaction, and lower costs to the healthcare system. The RUSH Act, introduced in the 115th Congress, represents one such effort by expanding access to emergency telehealth for Medicare patients in nursing homes with the goal of reducing unnecessary emergency room visits and hospitalizations.