LeadingAge sent out an Action Alert last week to encourage individuals and organizations to reach out to their members of Congress regarding the continuation of telehealth flexibilities put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. The flexibilities will expire on December 31, 2024, unless Congress acts to extend them.
The flexibilities include:
- The removal of geographic restrictions on originating service sites- allowing the home as an originating site for telehealth
- Expands provider eligibility as telehealth practitioners including qualified physical therapists, occupations therapists and speech language pathologist
- Hospice face to face recertification via telehealth
- Audio Only Telehealth
In a rural state like South Dakota, telehealth is imperative. It allows access to specialists that otherwise would not have been available to South Dakotans. For example, there are only nine fellowship trained hospice and palliative care physicians available in our state to serve its over 900,000 residents. These specialists are in the far western and far eastern parts of our state.
Telehealth saves travel time for both patients and medical professionals. Imagine the time and expense involved in traveling several hours to have a follow-up appointment with your doctor. Now imagine if you were seriously ill and had to make that trip in a South Dakota winter.
LifeCircle South Dakota-the state’s hospice and palliative care network, reached out to all three members of our Congress to urge them to support the extension of the Telehealth Flexibilities. Now we urge you to do the same!
Write your members of Congress today and urge swift action to extend these important telehealth flexibilities!
