ATA to Assess Telemedicine's Role in Addressing U.S. Healthcare Disparities

An advisory group convened by the organization released a framework of nine elements that can be used to work toward equity.

The American Telemedicine Association announced this week that it was launching a new initiative aimed at evaluating telehealth's potential as a tool to address and eliminate health disparities in the United States.  

The CEO’s Advisory Group on Using Telehealth to Eliminate Disparities and Inequities, comprising more than 30 executives from a range of payer, provider and tech organizations, issued a framework alongside the announcement that will serve as the foundation of ongoing strategic analysis and future policy recommendations.  

"In recent years, we have seen rapidly growing evidence that telehealth services can and should play a central role in strategies to address health disparities in the U.S.," said Ann Mond Johnson, CEO of the ATA, in a statement. "Our new ATA CEO’s Advisory Group brings together globally recognized leaders in health policy and service delivery who are uniquely positioned to outline the optimal strategies to use telehealth to address this very significant challenge."