WASHINGTON — Telehealth, which enables patients to meet with doctors using computers, tablets or smartphones, became a staple of American health care during the pandemic. But legislation expanding the use of telehealth under Medicare is set to expire at the end of the year. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, wants to make sure that doesn’t happen.
“This is something that Congress can actually do. We know that it works. It's an administrative fix,” he said.
The Republican-backed bill would amend the Social Security Act to permanently allow federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics to provide virtual care.
“There are many times people go to the doctor, and the doctor doesn't even look at them physically; they just have a conversation. I think we learned that can be very effective, and putting up the infrastructure to support telehealth isn't as hard as we made it seem,” said Briana Rockler, an assistant professor of public health at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
A study by the Wisconsin Health Information Organization showed that in 2020, when the pandemic began, 6.3% of doctors visits were virtual, up more than 2400% from the previous year.
“If this was something that wasn't working, I think we would see the numbers and the patient interest in tele[health] decline. And actually, what we're seeing is there's that boom,” said Melissa Armstrong, the director of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s graduate health care administration program.
Van Orden said the benefits of telemedicine are clear, especially for rural areas like his district in western Wisconsin.
“We lost two big hospitals,” he said. “We lost all of our adolescent mental health capacity. We lost two ERs and everything. So just because I live in a small community doesn't mean that I and my constituents don't deserve the same type of medical care that you have here in Washington, D.C.”
That same Wisconsin Health Information Organization study also showed that 23% of those who used telehealth services in 2020 lived in a disadvantaged area.
“If [there are] barriers of transportation or mobility, or if you have young children, all of those can contribute to not receiving care,” Armstrong said. “But that doesn't mean that you don't need the care. I believe telehealth really removes those barriers. And it's timely, equitable access, which is really important.”
There are limitations to telehealth: Not everything can be treated virtually, and some patients have insufficient internet access.