On April 3, ASAM, along with 85 other stakeholders, submitted a letter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar, and the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Seema Verma, urging them to lift the current Medicare prohibition on audio-only telehealth for the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

The letter first applauds Secretary Azar and Administrator Verma for their efforts to expand telemedicine services during the pandemic, before noting that the current requirement for audio-video connection is proving to be a significant barrier for health care providers and Medicare beneficiaries. Many Medicare beneficiaries and some providers lack access to devices with video-conferencing capabilities, broadband or the internet, or simply do not know how to use these devices to effectively provide and receive health services. Furthermore, Medicare beneficiaries are extremely vulnerable to the ravages of COVID-19 and are isolated in their homes. Therefore, ASAM urges Secretary Azar and Administrator Verma to lift the Medicare prohibition on audio-only telehealth to ensure that beneficiaries can connect to their health care providers by whatever means are available to them. 

Read the letter here.