The American Hospital Association has come out in support of bipartisan legislation, introduced in the House, that would require the Department of Health and Human Services, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, and Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission to study expanded telehealth use during the COVID-19 pandemic and recommend potential enhancements to telehealth access and quality.
In a letter to Republican Ohio Representative Troy Balderson, the AHA said it backed H.R. 1110, the Knowing the Efficiency and Efficacy of Permanent (KEEP) Telehealth Options Act, Healthcare Finance reports.
The legislation mandates that HHS, MedPAC and MACPAC each conduct a report and issue recommendations on telehealth. These reports will include the expansion of telehealth services during the COVID-19 outbreak, the uptake of those services by patients across the country, and recommendations for enhancing the quality of and access to these services.
The bill also asks each entity to make recommendations for potential improvement and expansion, as well as approaches to address and prevent fraudulent activity. Read more.
