ATA weighs in on AMA’s telehealth resolution

The American Medical Association’s (AMA's) endorsement of telehealth guidelines is a “small step” in the right direction, said American Telemedicine Association (ATA) officials during a June 24 videocast.

“It’s not where we are at, but it’s a long way from where they were before,” ATA CEO Jonathan Linkous said during the event.

Earlier this month, AMA approved a list of guiding principles to ensure the appropriate coverage of and payment for telemedicine services, and to promote innovation in telemedicine. They include protecting the patient-physician relationship and supporting improved care coordination and communication with medical homes.

ATA is not entirely in agreement with some of the principles approved by the AMA. “It wasn’t a wholesale endorsement of telemedicine,” he said. For example, ATA disagrees with its view that a physician must be licensed where the patient is located.

Linkous noted that, in the past, AMA and ATA had butted heads when the medical association passed resolutions condemning telemedicine. But AMA’s recent resolution signals a move toward better relations. “As all things come to pass, that too, has come to pass,” Linkous said, predicting more “good things to come” with traditional medical societies.

In other news, the association is urging the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) to allow accountable care organizations more flexibility to use telemedicine, Gary Capistrant, ATA senior director of public policy, reported during the videocast.

“They should have that flexibility as they are examples of moving from fee-for-service to value reimbursement, and it’s important for providers to have tools to create value themselves,” he said.

The HHS secretary has the power to waive any Medicare provision, thus can reverse rules preventing reimbursement for telehealth. “It’s a broad authority, they’ve used it in other instances and they should do it here,” he said.  

In other news, ATA unveiled new standards and guidelines on its website, including:

• Guidelines for TeleICU Operations
• Core Operational Guidelines for Telehealth Services Involving Provider-Patient Interactions

“Both went through a tremendous process of review with many of our members, including those from medical societies,” said Linkous.

The ATA continues to lobby for more telehealth-friendly regulations, and Capistrant said that the House Committee on Energy and Commerce is taking the lead. “They have the most holistic jurisdiction for dealing with telehealth,” he said.

As no telehealth provisions were passed as part of the SGR "patch" bill passed by Congress earlier this year, ATA officials now are focusing on new pieces of legislation: the Telehealth Enhancement Act (H.R. 3306) and the TELE-MED Act (H.R. 3077), which deal with reimbursement and licensure issues.

“All bills have been bipartisan in nature; that’s been a concerted effort,” Capistrant said.

The ATA officials also weighed in on FDA’s draft guidance published on June 20 to lower the regulatory burden on medical device data systems.

“It’s an example of the FDA trying to deal with innovation, and the volume of innovation out there, and focus on those things that are the highest priority needs and let go of items that are low risk,” said Capistrant. “It’s a good move forward for the telehealth industry and a good move forward for smarter regulation in this agency.”