ATA OPENS REGISTRATION FOR EDGE 2026 POLICY CONFERENCE

WASHINGTON, DC, AUGUST 28, 2026 – The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) today announced that registration is open for ATA EDGE 2026, the organization’s flagship policy conference, taking place December 9-11, at The Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC. This year’s theme, “Building the Foundation: Virtual Care Policy for a Health System That Lasts,” reflects a pivotal shift in the field’s advocacy focus – from securing temporary extensions to establishing the durable payment, regulatory, and policy infrastructure needed for virtual care to scale.

“Virtual care is essential infrastructure for a healthcare system searching for stability. The question now is no longer whether virtual care works, but how to build the policy foundation that allows it to function as core infrastructure – not through waivers or temporary extensions where permanent policy should exist,” said Kyle Zebley, CEO of the ATA and Executive Director of ATA Action. “ATA Action’s success in extending key telehealth flexibilities remains a critical achievement for the field, and that work continues in earnest. But extension alone is not stability. The next chapter is about creating a healthcare system where virtual care is fully integrated, reliably supported, and built for long-term success. EDGE is where that work happens.”

An Unmatched Concentration of Decision-Makers
EDGE 2026 brings together members of Congress, senior administration officials, state legislative leaders, regulators from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), health system executives, digital health innovators, investors, and policy experts for three days of deep discussion and thoughtful collaboration, designed to translate Washington and state-capital developments into actionable strategy.

Reports on Key Initiatives: AI in Virtual Care Policy, State Licensure & More
The ATA and ATA Action will report out on one of the most significant member-driven policy efforts underway in virtual care today, an initiative designed to produce concrete, real-world recommendations for how AI should be governed, adopted, and integrated across virtual care and digital health. The AI in Virtual Care Policy initiative has convened three dedicated working groups focused on State AI Policy, Federal Legislative Approached to AI and Virtual Care to shape the federal policy agenda, and Federal Agency and Public Policy frameworks for AI-enabled Virtual Care. Together, these groups are developing a forward-looking policy framework that addresses some of the most consequential questions facing healthcare, from responsible innovation and patient trust to regulatory oversight, reimbursement, transparency, and scalable adoption. These recommendations will be unveiled at EDGE and will help shape ATA Action’s federal and state advocacy agenda in 2027 and beyond.

“AI is moving faster than the policy frameworks that will ultimately govern how it is used in healthcare. A number of organizations are putting forward important AI projects, but none are tackling the essential federal and state policy questions surrounding how AI is actually integrated into virtual care delivery,” Zebley added. “That is where ATA and ATA Action have a unique role to play. We are bringing together the real-world experience of healthcare leaders, innovators, clinicians, and policy experts with our deep and highly collaborative relationships with federal and state policymakers to help define what responsible AI in virtual care policy should look like. What comes out of this initiative will not simply be another report, it will be a policy roadmap that we intend to put to work. EDGE will be the first opportunity to see that work come together and where we believe the field needs to go next.”

Programming will also highlight ATA Action’s collaborative initiatives, including ATA Action’s Cross-State Care Coalition (CCC) developed with Johns Hopkins Medicine, and its Digital Therapeutics and Virtual Foodcare policy agendas.

General Registration: Register here for the 2026 EDGE Policy Conference and reserve your room at The Watergate Hotel
Media Registration: Contact Gina Cella, gcella@americantelemed.org

About the ATA
As the definitive voice for virtual care, 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.

About ATA Action
Founded in 2022, ATA Action is the leading advocacy organization dedicated to advancing policy and accelerating the adoption of technology-enabled healthcare. Working collaboratively with federal and state legislators and policymakers, ATA Action drives industry momentum by influencing legislative and regulatory developments in telehealth, virtual care, remote patient monitoring, artificial intelligence in health, health data privacy, private sector healthcare investment, and more. Representing a diverse membership – including hospital systems, technology companies, professional associations, direct-to-consumer digital health providers, payers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, digital therapeutics developers, and remote monitoring organizations – ATA Action facilitates member-led coalitions focused on initiatives such as Cross State Care, Digital Therapeutics, and Virtual Foodcare.

ATA Action, a registered 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade organization focused on advocacy shaping virtual care, is engaged in lobbying efforts to shape industry-related legislation and serves as an affiliated trade association of the ATA. The ATA, a 501(c)(3) entity, is recognized for its leadership in advancing innovation and leading transformation in virtual care, digital health, hybrid care, artificial intelligence, and next generation connected care.