THE AMERICAN TELEMEDICINE ASSOCIATION AND JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE LAUNCH INITIATIVE TO OVERCOME BARRIERS TO INTERSTATE TELEHEALTH ACCESS
WASHINGTON, DC, and BALTIMORE, MD, MARCH 31, 2026 – The American Telemedicine Association (ATA), in collaboration with Johns Hopkins Medicine, today announced a three-year initiative to advance understanding and legislative action to reduce state licensure hurdles and expand nationwide telehealth access through carefully tailored federal solutions that complement, rather than replace, state-based licensure and oversight.
Increasing Healthcare Access Across State Lines
The LIFTT Initiative (Licensure Innovation for Telehealth Transformation) aims to educate the public on the urgent need for federal reforms to improve telehealth access nationwide. While state licensure frameworks remain the foundation of medical regulation, LIFTT focuses on pragmatic federal solutions that address specific gaps, such as continuity of care and access to rare expertise, where overly rigid state-by-state requirements can unintentionally restrict patient access to appropriate and necessary healthcare.
“A specialist who wishes to treat patients across state lines needs to invest countless hours and thousands of dollars in obtaining and maintaining multiple licenses, often just to see a limited number of patients for continuity of care purposes in each state. These licensure restrictions create unnecessary burdens for patients, including people with rare diseases and cancers, college students who live out of state for school, transplant recipients, patients who need palliative care or mental health services, and those living in rural areas,” said Helen Hughes, MD, MPH, medical director, Johns Hopkins Medicine’s Office of Telemedicine. “LIFTT will mobilize supporters, inform policymakers, and engage health systems to enhance our national strategy for interstate telehealth on behalf of patients nationwide. The ATA has been a driving force in promoting telehealth at both the federal and state levels. We are thrilled to partner to transform telehealth through targeted federal licensure solutions.”
Despite federal guidance, only a handful of states have adopted common-sense exceptions to restrictive telehealth licensure rules. The ATA and Johns Hopkins Medicine seek to support and reinforce state regulation with targeted federal pathways that enable essential care to be delivered across state lines, while fully preserving state standards of care and enforcement authority.
“State-specific licensure rules restrict patients from accessing essential healthcare services, especially specialized care, and create unnecessary obstacles to cross-state collaboration. Federal oversight can establish a cohesive strategy for telehealth access nationwide, while respecting local governance structures,” added Kyle Zebley, CEO of the ATA. “Our approach is intentionally narrow yet highly meaningful: targeted federal allowances in exceptional circumstances, paired with respect for state licensure, accountability, and disciplinary authority. We are pleased to be joining forces with Johns Hopkins Medicine, a leader in increasing patient access to care and valued member of the ATA, on this important initiative. In addition to LIFTT, we are also planning a complimentary effort to advance cross-state licensure and look forward to sharing more details in the near future.”
New Policy Principles Propose Easing Interstate Care Barriers
The new ATA Policy Principles on Breaking Down Interstate Barriers to Care aim to remove interstate barriers to care by promoting federal actions that complement state authority to ensure patients have timely access to care, while maintaining safety, accountability, and respect for state licensure. The principles intend to eliminate overly restrictive rules that hinder innovation, access, and telehealth’s proven ability to improve patient outcomes:
- Protect continuity of care
- Enable timely access to expertise
- Support innovation and research
- Advance nationwide coordination
- Preserve patient safety and accountability
About the ATA
The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) is the catalyst for advancing innovation and the transformation of healthcare through virtual care, digital health, hybrid delivery, and AI-enabled care models. Representing the most diverse ecosystem in healthcare – including leading health systems, academic medical centers, payers, technology innovators, life sciences companies, and clinician leaders – the ATA advances clinical standards, policy leadership, education, and evidence frameworks that accelerate high-quality, technology-enabled care. Through its policy and legislative advocacy arm, ATA Action, the organization drives federal and state policy change to support sustainable, modernized, digitally enabled healthcare for all.
CONTACTS:
Gina Cella
American Telemedicine Association
gcella@americantelemed.org
c: 781-799-3137
Cassidy Davis
Johns Hopkins Medicine
cdavi185@jhmi.edu
806-204-026
