Connecting Patients to Care—Anywhere, Anytime
Telehealth effectively connects individuals and their healthcare providers when in-person care is not necessary or not possible, enabling patients to receive care, consult with clinicians, obtain diagnoses, manage conditions, arrange prescriptions, and access health information remotely.
Over more than three decades of use, telehealth has been consistently shown to be a safe and high-quality care modality, a convenient option for patients and clinicians, and a secure environment for the collection and transmission of personal health information. Together, these attributes extend where and how care is delivered, strengthening the healthcare system overall.
Telehealth and virtual care can expand access for rural communities, underserved and vulnerable populations, older adults, and individuals who face barriers to in-person care—supporting timely, effective, and appropriate care when and where it is needed. Telehealth also improves system efficiency, helps reduce costs, and enables healthcare providers and health systems to serve more people more effectively.
ATA Telehealth & Virtual Care Taxonomy
This taxonomy provides a standardized set of definitions for telehealth, virtual care, and technology-enabled health services. Telehealth effectively connects individuals and their healthcare providers when in-person care is not necessary or not possible, enabling patients to receive care, consult with clinicians, obtain diagnoses, manage conditions, arrange prescriptions, and access health information remotely
This taxonomy is intended to support consistent understanding across ATA resources, policy discussions, research, reimbursement analysis, and implementation efforts. It distinguishes between care settings, modalities, care models, enabling technologies, and governance considerations, recognizing that these concepts are often used interchangeably but serve distinct functions. The definitions reflect current usage across the healthcare ecosystem and are not intended to be prescriptive or determinative of clinical appropriateness, regulatory compliance, or reimbursement eligibility.
Hear from the ATA Chair of the Board, Sree Chaguturu, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, CVS Health on the value of ATA Membership.
