AFP Applauds CMS Proposal to Permanently Expand Telehealth Services

Jun 29, 2020 by AFP

Arlington, VA – The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a new rule that would lock in some of the expansions of telehealth services made by the agency early in the COVID-19 crisis. The rule would allow home health agencies to continue utilizing remote patient monitoring, phone calls, two-way audio-video and similar technologies to connect Medicare patients and clinicians.

Americans for Prosperity Senior Health Care Policy Fellow Dean Clancy issued the following:

“We can’t undo the damage that COVID-19 has done to our communities, but we can ensure that we are better prepared to save lives moving forward. The need to expand telehealth is painfully obvious at this point. Providing doctors, nurses and patients with a safer way to connect isn’t just a nice thing to have amidst a pandemic, it is an absolute necessity. We support CMS’ effort to permanently expand telehealth and call on Congress to act so more Americans can receive the care they need, when they need it.”

AFP has long supported an expansion of telehealth services as part of a long-term, multimillion dollar effort to reimagine American health care. The group included expanding telehealth as a top priority in a policy proposal released in April. The grassroots organization recently joined 35 organizations in calling on Congress to lock in an expansion of telehealth services.

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