Alliance News
Alliance for Connected Care, “Telehealth Summit for Health Systems”: (4/22-4/23) – The Alliance for Connected Care held its virtual Telehealth Summit for Health Systems April 22 & 23. Participants heard from federal policymakers and executives at several health systems on a variety of issues related to virtual care, including improving access across the digital and social divide, consumer engagement in virtual care, post-pandemic licensure portability, and hardwiring virtual care transformation. Slides from the opening presentation, entitled “A Pivotal Moment for Telehealth & RPM Policy: A Look Ahead to 2021,” are now available on the website, and a recording of the opening sessions with our guest speakers from the White House and Congress will be available soon.
Politico: “How to get your telehealth data to policymakers”: (4/23) – Politico reporter Mohana Ravindranath covered our Telehealth Summit this week! Alliance Executive Director Krista Drobac asked White House Domestic Policy Council's deputy director for health and veterans affairs, Christen Linke Young how advocates can share data gathered during the pandemic. Christen Linke Young said that data on virtual care and its costs could be valuable in shaping post-pandemic telehealth policy — even if it's informal. "Not everything has to be a peer reviewed study to matter to policymakers, and sharing those key lessons informally can be really helpful,” Young said. Those with a subscription can read full coverage here.
Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center: (4/22) – The Alliance for Connected Care's Chris Adamec spoke to participants at the NRTRC Annual Conference “Telehealth’s Big Bang: From Challenge to Opportunity.” The Alliance spoke on “Strategies for Maintaining Regulatory Flexibilities” alongside the Oregon Office of Rural Health, the Center for Connected Health Policy, and the Wyoming Department of Health.
Alliance Support Letter for Missouri SB 193: (4/21) – The Alliance submitted a letter of support to Senator Bob Onder, Chair of the Missouri Senate Committee on Health and Pensions, for Senate Bill 193. The bill would allow APRNs providing nursing services under a collaborative practice agreement to provide such services outside the geographic proximity requirement if utilizing telehealth in the care of the patient and if the services are provided in a rural area located in a health professional shortage area. The Alliance believes eliminating geographic proximity requirements for telehealth services will improve access to care, especially in rural and underserved areas.
Alliance Support Letter for Missouri SB 584: (4/21) – The Alliance submitted a letter of support to Senator Jeanie Riddle, Chair of the Missouri Senate Committee on Professional Regulation, for Senate Bill 584. This bill would repeal the requirement that an APRN can only provide telehealth services in rural areas of need in order to practice telehealth services outside the geographic proximity requirements of a collaborative practice agreement. The Alliance believes eliminating geographic proximity requirements, especially for telehealth services, will improve access to care, especially in rural areas with provider shortages.
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