ATA Applauds Bill to Support Patient Care Regardless of Where Provider is Located
Washington, DC (PRWEB) September 12, 2013 -- The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) applauds a new congressional bill to modernize the Medicare program which would allow Medicare patients to be cared for by a licensed provider from any state. The bipartisan TELE-MED Act, H.R. 3077, was introduced by Reps. Devin Nunes (R-CA 22) and Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ 6).
"We urge Congress to expand this licensure model for telemedicine to other federal agencies and health benefit programs," said Jonathan Linkous, ATA Chief Executive Officer. "Patients should all be able to receive the best and most convenient care available, regardless of geographic location."
This bill builds on the bipartisan STEP Act for the Department of Defense health professionals. The act (introduced as H.R. 1832) was put into law less than two years ago. Also pending in Congress is the bipartisan VETS Act (H.R. 2001) which would enable Department of Veterans Affairs health professionals to serve any veteran in the U.S. without unnecessary cost and time delays of multiple state licenses.
“Technology makes it increasingly easy for patients to receive the 21st century care they need and want, wherever the physician or other professional is located,” said Linkous.
Visit this link to view the bill: http://www.americantelemed.org/docs/default-source/policy/tele-med-act-h-r-3077.pdf?sfvrsn=2.
The American Telemedicine Association is the leading international resource and advocate promoting the use of advanced remote medical technologies. ATA and its diverse membership work to fully integrate telemedicine into healthcare systems to improve quality, equity and affordability of healthcare throughout the world. Established in 1993, ATA is headquartered in Washington, DC. For more information visit http://www.americantelemed.org.
Mimi Hubbard, American Telemedicine Association, http://www.americantelemed.org, +1 (202) 664-9680, [email protected]
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