On Thursday, a coalition of health care industry stakeholders sent a letter to Senate Finance Committee leaders outlining a proposal to lift certain restrictions on telemedicine coverage for Medicare beneficiaries, FierceHealthIT reports. The letter was addressed to Senate Finance Committee Chair Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and ranking member Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). Signatories included: The proposal, known as the "bridge," seeks to increase the use of connected care technologies during the implementation of the Medicare Access and Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act's alternative payment models, which will require new technologies. Specifically, the coalition called on lawmakers to develop a "transition mechanism" to: The coalition said the reforms should last until at least 2021 (FierceHealthIT, 10/1). It wrote, "Such a transition period would facilitate preparation and serve as a glide path to a new era of value-based care" (Stakeholder letter, 10/1).
A number of healthcare industry stakeholders have combined to deliver a letter to Senate Finance Committee leaders requesting that restrictions on telemedicine coverage for Medicare beneficiaries are reduced. The letter, signed by the American Medical Association, the Association of Health Care Information Technology (AHITE), and several other organizations, argues that “allowing providers to offer services outside their networks will increase costs for