Take Action to Protect Telehealth Access

HIMSS needs your help to protect telehealth access for Medicare beneficiaries.

Use the HIMSS Legislative Action Center to urge your Representative to cosponsor the Protecting Access to Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Act of 2020 (H.R. 7663).

Taking action is simple and will take less than three minutes, but it will have a tremendous impact. A prewritten letter is available — with the option to customize or write your own letter — that will be automatically sent to your Representative in Congress through the HIMSS Legislative Action Center. The letter stresses the importance of protecting telehealth access and passing H.R. 7663.

RELATED: The History of HIMSS and Telehealth Advocacy

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented urgent needs and unique challenges to our healthcare system and patient health. In response to the COVID-19 threat, the federal government swiftly enacted temporary waivers and regulatory changes that unleashed an unprecedented wave of telehealth adoption, particularly in the Medicare program. Access to telehealth and connected care during the COVID-19 pandemic has provided an invaluable lifeline to patients and healthcare providers when access to in-person care was not an option to many patients.

Stakeholders across our healthcare system, from patients and providers to the federal government, have invested time and resources in telehealth to ensure patients can continue to receive necessary care in a safe and effective manner. However, Medicare beneficiaries will again lose access to this important service unless Congress takes decisive action and makes these changes permanent.