TELE-TRUTHS: RECENT STUDIES & MEDIA COVERAGE EMPHASIZE OVERWHELMING POSITIVE IMPACT OF TELEHEALTH
Discussion Surrounding Telehealth Highlights Role in Improved Health Outcomes, Lowered Care Costs, and Patient and Provider Support
Support for telehealth continues to run at an all-time high. In late July of this year, the U.S. House passed the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID–19 Act (H.R. 4040) with an overwhelming level of bipartisan support. This legislation would provide a two-year extension for expanded telehealth access granted during the pandemic, which millions of individuals have come to rely on. The onus is now on the U.S. Senate to act, and the urgent need to do so is bolstered by rallying levels of support and copious studies noting the positive impact that telehealth has on patients, providers, and the health care system as a whole.
Recent studies have emphasized telehealth’s role in improving health care outcomes, lowering the cost of care, and the ongoing support or telehealth from both patients and providers.
Telehealth Access for America urges Congress to listen to the data, and more importantly the patients behind the data, by taking urgent action to ensure patients can continue to access safe, affordable health care.
Recent studies and headlines bolstering this urgent need include:
Improved Health Outcomes
- Pandemic-Era Telehealth Expansion Reduced Opioid Overdoses, Study Shows – Fierce Healthcare, 9/2/22
- Minority, Rural Urology Patients More Likely To Use Audio-Only Telehealth – mHealth Intelligence, 8/11/22
- New Research Shows That A Comprehensive Telehealth Approach, Which Included Medication Management And Depression Support, Provided Several Benefits For Patients With Poorly Controlled Type 2 Diabetes. – mHealth Intelligence, 8/9/22
- Telehealth Could Improve Access To Health Care For Pregnant Mothers, Their Infants, Oregon Health & Science University, 8/4/22
- Telehealth May Fit Well In Pregnancy, Postpartum Care, Study suggests – UPI, 7/25/22
- Remote Patient Monitoring Linked To Lower COVID-19 Hospitalizations – mHealth Intelligence, 7/12/22
- Telehealth Enables 8 Texas Nurseries To Reduce Antibiotic Use In Newborns By 32% – EurikAlert, 6/30/22
- Telehealth Supports Type 1 Diabetes Management Among Pediatric Patients – mHealth Intelligence, 6/13/22
- Telehealth Can Be A Safe Technique In High-Risk Pregnancies, Study Shows – Healthcare IT News, 5/16/22
- Telehealth Has Played An Outsized Role Meeting Mental Health Needs During The COVID-19 Pandemic – KFF, 5/15/22
- Medicare Patients In Poor Neighborhoods Benefited Most From CMS Telehealth Expansion, Study Finds – Fierce Healthcare 5/6/22
Lower Cost
- Telehealth Visits Replace In-Person Visits, Rather Than Supplement And Offer Cost-Savings For Insurance Providers – George Mason University, 8/18/22
- Telehealth Use Remained Steady In 2021 For Medicare Beneficiaries – mHealth Intelligence, 6/27/22
Patient/Provider Support
- Telehealth Remains Popular Among Adults Over 50 – mHealth Intelligence, 5/18/22
- Interest In Telehealth Services Is Holding Steady – AARP, 5/22
Learn more about how Congress can act to protect access to telehealth for millions of patients who have come to rely on virtual care 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.