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 agreed to send a letter to Senate Finance Committee leaders requesting that restrictions on telemedicine coverage for Medicare beneficiaries are lifted . The letter outlines how the alliance ﻿would work to raise the usage of connected care providers throughout the implementation of the Medicare Access and Children 's Health Insurance Program Reauthorisation Act 's alternative payment models .