The American Telemedicine Association is imploring the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to revise the Rural Health Care Connectivity Act, according to Healthcare Dive.
Here are five things to know:
1. The ATA urges the revision to include universal support for additional rural health providers, including Medicaid and Medicare telehealth providers, school-based clinics and emergency transporters.
2. In his letter to the committee, ATA CEO John Linkous wrote this is ATA's first effort in the last 20 years to update the rural health provider definition.
3. The letter also expressed ATA's support for the update to include universal services to skilled nursing facilities.
4. Since 2010, more than 60 rural communities have witnessed hospital closures.
5. An iVantage report estimates another 673 rural hospitals across 42 U.S. states are at risk for closure.
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