On January 28, the Chronic Care Policy Alliance (CCPA) hosted Telehealth Forecast 2025, a webinar exploring the evolving landscape of telehealth and the policies shaping its future. Moderated by CCPA’s Founder and Director, Liz Helms, the discussion featured a panel of distinguished experts:
- Mei Wa Kwong, JD, Executive Director, Center for Connected Health Policy
- David Newman, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Virtual Care, Sanford Health
- Tara Sklar, JD, MPH, Faculty Director, Health Law & Policy Program, Arizona Law & Associate Director, Arizona Telemedicine Program
The panelists shared insights on federal policies, Medicare telehealth flexibilities, technological advancements, and advocacy efforts to expand access to virtual care. Below are the key takeaways:
- The State of Telehealth: Telehealth continues to be a vital tool in expanding access to care, particularly in underserved and rural communities. Panelists emphasized the need for policies that ensure continued support and innovation in telehealth.
- Policy Landscape: Experts provided an overview of federal and state policies shaping telehealth, including the recently extended Medicare telehealth flexibilities, which expire after March 31st, and licensure challenges across state lines.
- Real-World Applications: Telehealth is increasingly being used as a technology-driven solution to expand healthcare access, particularly for rural and underserved populations. A key focus of the discussion was on helping patients become more accustomed to using telehealth services, ensuring they can navigate virtual platforms confidently. Additionally, efforts are underway to train healthcare providers on best practices for delivering high-quality telehealth care, including improving patient engagement and virtual communication skills.
- Patient-Centered Care: A patient-first approach remains critical to telehealth’s success. Panelists emphasized the importance of bridging the digital divide by educating both patients and providers on how to use telehealth effectively and improving access to necessary technology. Policies that provide reimbursement and continued access to telehealth are critical to meet the needs of patients.
- Advancements & Future Trends: The panel explored telehealth technologies and strategies – such as remote patient monitoring, patient experience labs, and e-consults – to integrate virtual care seamlessly into traditional healthcare models. Dr. Newman specifically pointed to groundbreaking Sanford Health facilities and their substantial training advances, dedicated to providing care to rural America.
- Advocacy & Action: Participants stressed the need for patient and provider advocacy to ensure that telehealth remains a permanent and accessible option for all and isn’t overshadowed by the “noise” in Washington DC. Specifically, they called for patient advocates to reach out to their representatives and make their voices heard during this critical time.
Some advocacy-related resources that may help you are listed below:
- The American Medical Association is active on the issue of telehealth and ensuring there is a payment path for physicians and providers to support the development and continuation of health initiatives. Visit their website here for more information.
- The American Hospital Association is supporting telehealth services and has a fact sheet available on their website here.
- The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) focuses on advancing telehealth, and believes that to effectively leverage and expand telehealth, federal and state health policy must be technology, modality and site neutral. ATA’s letter to Congress on telehealth can be found here.
We encourage you to follow the ATA’s example and send a letter to your Congressional representatives asking them to make the telehealth flexibilities permanent or extend them for as long as possible.
For those who missed the live session, the full webinar recording is available here.