AHA, Ascension, Others Campaign to Preserve Post-Pandemic Telehealth Access

The American Hospital Association (AHA) and 15 other healthcare organizations have launched a campaign that aims to preserve telehealth access after the public health emergency has ended.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, states took action to maintain patient access to care by enacting emergency regulations and easing up on telehealth rules. Policymakers implemented telehealth waivers to facilitate virtual care access during a time when in-person visits were discouraged.

But many of these waivers are set to expire once the public health emergency ends.

Telehealth Access for America is a public education campaign that is calling on Congress to solidify access to telehealth services for every American in a post-pandemic world.

“Access to telehealth is vital to Americans’ well-being and quality of life. Flexibility provided by policymakers during the pandemic led to greater use of telehealth services made possible by providers’ investments in these tools,” Rick Pollack, president and chief executive officer of AHA, stated in the press release. “Without action from Congress, millions of Americans who have come to rely on telehealth services will lose access to the care they value.”

Without permanent telehealth policies, patients may have fewer care options and could be forced to travel across state lines to receive specialty care, according to the healthcare organizations spearheading the campaign. Patients may also turn to more costly options for care, such as the emergency room, if telehealth access is compromised.

Importantly, telehealth provided a convenient care option for patients to receive mental and behavioral health services. If the public health emergency waivers expire, individuals may experience reduced access to these key services.

“Expanded telehealth access has allowed millions more patients to see their care providers, receive prescriptions, and manage their health, improving outcomes, health equity, and patient and caregiver choice,” Joseph Impicciche, president and chief executive officer of Ascension, a campaign participant, said in a statement. “The patients and consumers we serve overwhelmingly recognize these benefits and are in support of urgent action from Congress to permanently protect access to telehealth services.”

Other notable campaign leaders include the Alliance for Connected Care, the American Heart Association, athenahealth, Johns Hopkins Medicine, and Teladoc Health. 

The education campaign emphasizes the benefits of telehealth and what individuals could stand to lose if policymakers do not solidify access, including better health outcomes, better quality of life, greater health equity, increased patient and caregiver choice, and lower healthcare costs.

The pandemic may have nudged individuals toward telehealth, but studies have shown that patients are satisfied with virtual care and plan to continue using it even after the pandemic is over. 

The Telehealth Access for America campaign commissioned a survey of 1,000 voters and found that more than half (66 percent) had a positive view of telehealth and agreed that it improved overall health care quality.

Additionally, more than 90 percent of respondents supported continued access to telehealth services, with many agreeing that patients in rural and urban areas alike should have the choice to see a clinician via telehealth after the pandemic is over.

Similarly, nearly eight in ten voters supported the passage of legislation that would solidify post-pandemic telehealth access.