Washington, DC, March 11, 2015 – The Alliance for Connected Care (the Alliance) applauds the decision by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to expand Medicare beneficiaries' access to telehealth services as part of the Next Generation Accountable Care Organization (ACO) initiative. This action is a recognition of the importance of telehealth in achieving the goals of accountable care payment models.
"This policy is a critical step forward in expanding the use of telehealth services in Medicare, which will allow for greater care coordination and improved quality of care," said Joe Peterson, M.D., President of Specialists on Call and Chair of the Alliance. "It represents a major victory for patients and the broader telehealth community, which has been gathering evidence of telehealth's benefits for decades." The Alliance has promoted the value of telehealth in new models of care and advocated for the lifting of reimbursement restrictions through numerous letters (http://www.connectwithcare.
"This is a critical development in CMS' efforts to strengthen the relationships between health care providers and their patients and ensure the timely provision of care. We urge the Agency to take the next step and lift these restrictions under the Medicare Shared Savings Program."
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The Alliance for Connected Care (http://www.connectwithcare.