The following statement is attributed to Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®, regarding today’s House Energy and Commerce hearing, “The Future of Telehealth: How COVID-19 is Changing the Delivery of Virtual Care."
“We are encouraged by this and other thoughtful discussions examining the role digital health plays in fighting the global pandemic. Greater use of telehealth and digital health technology during the COVID-19 pandemic has improved Americans' access to care, increased patient engagement in managing health and helped lower costs.
“Unfortunately, under pre-pandemic law, telehealth coverage is limited to rural areas and requires patients to go to facilities such as hospitals and physician offices to receive telehealth services. Congress can fix this by making the Medicare telehealth and remote patient monitoring waivers for COVID-19 permanent. This will allow patients to continue to receive telehealth services in their homes in any area of the country.
“The demand for digital health access isn’t letting up. A recent CTA report shows the number of consumers using video virtual care visits during the pandemic grew more than 400%, while those using telephone or audio-only services grew 170%. To sustain this demand, we must continue to improve and broaden access to our health care system. With greater adoption of technology in our health care system, we can help ensure access to all Americans, regardless of who they are or where they live.
"CTA is committed to building stronger, healthier and more equitable health systems that work for everyone. CTA and the Connected Health Initiative are leading the Health Equity and Access Leadership (HEAL) Coalition, a multi-sector initiative of private tech companies, healthcare providers and representatives of public agencies examining new ways to leverage the use of technology to mitigate health disparities across diverse demographics, geographies and communities."