ATA Urges CMS to Boost Telehealth, and get Guidance Issued ASAP

The American Telemedicine Association and ATA Action, in a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, seeks to preserve pandemic-era Medicare telehealth flexibilities that it says are responsible for improving access to healthcare across the U.S.Telehealth plays "a crucial role in ensuring timely, appropriate and expanded access to care for millions of Americans," the organizations said in a statement Wednesday, and CMS should continue to engage stakeholders to ensure services are covered and that telehealth reimbursement rates are fair.Without an extension or legislative change to the 2025 Physician Fee Schedule when it expires at the close of 2024, telehealth would essentially downshift to limited coverage of services to certain rural areas and specific physical locations, the organizations said.