At last week’s virtual “Roundtable Discussion on Embracing Technology and Telehealth” hosted by the White House, the administration launched the Pledge to Embrace Technology to Advance America’s Health in order to reassure patients, providers, and payers that telehealth is here to stay and will be covered over the long term, according to a White House press release.
The event included Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma, Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation and Deputy Assistant to the President Brad Smith, and healthcare leaders from across the country.
From launching a nationwide rollout of upgraded telehealth technology at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs in 2017, to modernizing Medicare payment, to supporting new technology in 2019, the White House has prioritized telehealth innovation from day one. These important reforms laid the foundation for the critical role that telehealth solutions have played during the COVID-19 pandemic.
There has been a 4,300 percent nationwide increase in telehealth utilization from pre-pandemic levels—protecting Americans seeking care, and their healthcare providers, across the country. Recent analysis by CMS indicates that this expansion of telehealth services is likely to be a permanent feature of America’s healthcare delivery systems.
An Executive Order on Improving Rural Health and Telehealth Access was signed on August 3, directing the appropriately extension of additional telehealth services offered to Medicare beneficiaries beyond the public health emergency. Consistent with that directive, CMS has proposed changes to expand telehealth permanently. To build on this momentum, the Pledge calls on healthcare insurers to commit to expanding flexible and affordable telehealth options, and on healthcare providers to accelerate the adoption of telehealth solutions.
“The onset of COVID-19 has challenged our Nation and the world to rethink the future of healthcare delivery. The Trump Administration is advancing our Nation’s health through a shared public and private sector commitment to emerging technologies that make high quality healthcare more accessible for all Americans,” U.S. Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios said.
