Telehealth Legislation We're Watching: CONNECT for Health Act

Read More
Telehealth Legislation We're Watching: CONNECT for Health Act
by Prevounce Health

A broad, bipartisan group of 50 senators recently reintroduced the CONNECT for Health Act for a fourth time, and there is an expectation that this massive telehealth bill could become law.

The bill was first introduced in 2016 and is generally considered the most comprehensive telehealth legislation in Congress. The latest version is officially known as the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act of 2021.

Here are some of the most significant laws included in the 2021 version of the legislation: 

  • Permanently remove all geographic restrictions on telehealth services and expand originating sites to include the home and other sites.
  • Allow health centers and rural health clinics to provide telehealth services (This provision is currently in place due to the pandemic but on a temporary basis).
  • Provide the HHS secretary with the permanent authority to waive telehealth restrictions (This provision is currently in place due to the pandemic but on a temporary basis).
  • Allow for the waiver of telehealth restrictions during public health emergencies.
  • Require a study to learn more about how telehealth has been used during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bill has substantial external support: More than 150 organizations have endorsed the legislation including the American Medical Association and other national health associations and companies.

In a news release, Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI), one of the bill's primary sponsors, stated, "The last year has shown us that telehealth works, it's popular, and it's here to stay. Our comprehensive bill makes it easier for more people to safely get the care they need no matter where they live."

Another primary sponsor, Roger Wicker (R-MS), stated, "Telehealth is enabling more people to receive the care they need, leading to improved outcomes and lower costs. This bipartisan legislation would build on the success of telehealth in states like Mississippi to eliminate existing barriers and expand access to lifesaving care for more Americans."

Here is access to a summary of the bill and review the list of endorsing organizations.

 

All Posts

Related Posts

Chronic Care Management Patient Costs: Justifying Their Investment

Some areas of healthcare have evolved at lightning speed over these past several years, with the COVID-19 pandemic and its far-reaching impact accelerating progress with relative ease. Adopted just a few years prior to the public health emergency's onset, chronic care management (CCM) is now solidified as a service and emerging care model — one that is bridging distance gaps and helping chronic disease patients reach and sustain better health for longer. Yet adoption has been slower than one might expect for a service with so many patient care benefits. Is the near-sighted perceived cost of this multifaceted solution deterring patients from taking advantage of it? Before we answer this question, and provide some reasons why patients and practitioners should fully embrace chronic care management, let's gain a better understanding of CCM.

Documentation Requirements for the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit

Documentation Requirements for the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit The documentation requirements for the Medicare annual wellness visit (AWV) serve multiple purposes. Most importantly, documentation is critical to maximizing the value of the Medicare AWV to patients. As AARP notes, the Medicare AWV is "… designed to promote the use of preventive care, identify health risks, and plan for future healthcare needs." In addition, the Medicare AWV is an opportunity for patients to meet with providers who can also deliver or schedule preventive services, which we discuss in this blog post that shares HCPCS and CPT codes for billing the AWV and supplementary preventive services.

Definition Explained: What is Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM)

One of the silver linings of the COVID-19 pandemic was the increased adoption of virtual healthcare services and delivery systems. This includes remote patient monitoring, or RPM. Remote patient monitoring was a concept foreign to most individuals before the health crisis, but that is rapidly changing as providers increasingly adopt the service and enroll their patients. Yet many people still lack a firm understanding of remote patient monitoring, so we thought it would be helpful to dedicate a blog that focuses on the definition of RPM and contrasts the concept of remote patient monitoring with other terms frequently associated with it.