ICYMI: American Academy of Sleep Medicine Calls for Permanent Telehealth Protections

In case you missed it, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) released an official position statement recommending telehealth services be made “permanently available and accessible” for sleep medicine patients. Published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, AASM encourages “legislators, policymakers, clinicians and patients to work together to ensure sleep telehealth services are permanently available and accessible for all patients seeking sleep medicine care.” The recommendations were authored by Kunwar Praveen Vohra, MD, MBA, Ascension Medical Group, Karin G. Johnson, MD, University of Massachusetts Chan School of Medicine-Baystate, and Ashtaad Dalal, MD, Georgetown University School of Medicine, among others. 

Around 50 to 70 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders. The AASM states that telehealth “is an essential tool for the provision of high-quality, patient-centered care for patients with sleep disorders.” Their statement comes at a time when permanent telehealth legislation continues to be pushed further down the calendar. The latest extension leads up to September 30, 2025, after which, millions of Medicare patients could lose access to care through telehealth. This includes more than six million seniors who utilize telehealth for care.

In their position statement, AASM highlighted multiple proven benefits of telehealth in treating sleep disorder patients with associated research, including access to care, delivery improvement, increased clinician efficiency and access, patient safety and experience improvements, and economic benefits.

The statement concludes, “Sleep care is well-suited to be delivered via telehealth. Ensuring telehealth services are permanently available and accessible for all patients seeking sleep care would allow timely delivery of sleep health care, improved patient safety, increased patient access, interstate sleep care expansion, and improved sleep health equity. Hence, telehealth should be made permanent moving forward with legislative and payer support.”

TAFA and other health care advocates have called for permanent action to be taken to safeguard telehealth. Permanent protections are needed to spur innovation in modern health services and unlock the full potential of virtual health care. Congress must prioritize telehealth protections, as experts and advocates such as the American Academy of Sleep Medicine continue to encourage a permanent solution.

Read the full position statement published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine here.

ABOUT TELEHEALTH ACCESS FOR AMERICA

Telehealth Access for America (TAFA) is a public education campaign supported by leaders in health care committed to better care, expanded patient choice, and protecting access to critical telehealth services. Learn more and take action today at www.telehealthaccessforamerica.org