Essentia Health urges Congress to extend Medicare coverage for telehealth services

Last week, Essentia Health joined a coalition of health care organizations calling on Congress to extend Medicare coverage for telehealth services before it expires on Sept. 30. In a letter to Congressional leaders, Essentia Health urged either a permanent extension or, at minimum, a two-year extension, be established to provide stability and clarity for patients, providers and the broader health care system.
 
“Telehealth has transformed the way we deliver care at Essentia Health. By providing a virtual care option to our patients, we’ve removed barriers and made it easier and more convenient for patients to receive the care they need,” said Essentia Health CEO Dr. David Herman. “As a leader in rural health care, we have seen firsthand how telehealth has improved the lives of our patients and become a crucial component of our modern health care system. We are committed to ensuring our patients covered by Medicare continue to have access to these benefits.”
 
Medicare has covered most telehealth services for the last five years. Telehealth services allow patients to access critical health care services even when they have barriers to accessing in-person care, such as weakened immune systems and chronic conditions, trouble accessing transportation or an inability to take time off to receive in-person care.
 
As a health care system serving primarily rural communities, Essentia Health has leveraged telehealth to deliver primary and specialty care to patients who would otherwise have to travel long distances to receive care.
 
Essentia serves over 12,300 patients on average per month through telehealth services, with providers conducting an average of 15,000 telehealth visits or consults per month.
 
The letter outlines additional benefits of extending Medicare coverage for telehealth services:

 

• Certainty for Medicare enrollees: Without action, patients may lose access to the clinicians and services they rely on.
   
• Strengthening the health care workforce: Telehealth enables more clinicians to provide care, addressing workforce shortages while maintaining high-quality services.
   
• Stability for rural health care systems: Stable telehealth policies will allow providers, particularly smaller and rural organizations, to invest in the tools and infrastructure needed to deliver virtual care.