A collection of healthcare giants, including mHealth News parent company HIMSS, is asking Congress to make telehealth and remote patient monitoring a cornerstone of the 21st century healthcare system.
In a letter to U.S. Reps. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Diana DeGette (D-Col.), HIMSS joined six organizations, five vendors and a health system, in making four recommendations as part of the 21st Century Cares Initiative. They are:
- Authorize the use of telehealth in all accountable care and bundled payment programs;
- Use remote monitoring to assist patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure, as well as those with diabetes who are patients of federally qualified health centers, and include the flexibility to expand monitoring to those with other chronic conditions;
- Authorize the use of telehealth payments for population health management at all critical access hospitals and FQHCs; and
- Enable Medicare patients to use video visits and remote monitoring.
"Despite an outdated and restrictive legal and regulatory environment, these transformative technologies have been demonstrated to result in increased quality of care, reduced hospitalization, avoidance of complications and improved satisfaction, particularly for the chronically ill, and reduced costs, among others," the letter stated.
The letter was signed by HIMSS, the American Telemedicine Association, the Continua Health Alliance, ACT/The App Association, the Alliance for Home Dialysis, the RCHN Community Health Foundation, the Telecommunications Industry Association, Christus Health, Qualcomm, Intel, Panasonic, Philips and Baxter International.
"Congress has the responsibility to take necessary steps to help Americans realize the benefits of these solutions," the letter added. "Namely, Congress should immediately address restrictions in Section 1834(m) of the Social Security Act, which have resulted in arduous constraints on telehealth services, particularly via its geographic and originating site limitations. Restrictions in the law such as those in 1834(m) significantly limit patient access to new technologies, effectively discouraging providers from utilizing advanced ICT solutions in their practices and depriving millions of Americans the benefits of cutting-edge care available today."
Upton, chairman of the House Committee on Energy & Commerce, and DeGette, a member of that committee, launched the 21st Century Cures Initiative with the goal of taking "a comprehensive look at what steps we can take to accelerate the pace of cures in America." The initiative has so far produced nine roundtables and four whitepapers.
The letter also called on Upton and DeGette to request an immediate analysis by the Congressional Budget office of "the costs and benefits associated with the expanded use of telehealth" through the end of 2014. "Other provisions in House bills may similarly be attractive if a CBO analysis identifies calculable savings or relatively small costs associated with these provisions."
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