Federal Activity

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.  

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.