<div>Please read and consider signing on...The window for response is very short!</div>
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<div>Thanks,</div>
<div>Cathy<br><br></div>
<div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Telehealth Leadership Initiative</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:info@telehealthleadership.org">info@telehealthleadership.org</a>></span><br>
Date: Thu, Jul 16, 2009 at 12:25 PM<br>Subject: Urgent Announcement -- Help Fix the Telehealth Credentialing Problem<br>To: <a href="mailto:csbritain@gmail.com">csbritain@gmail.com</a><br><br><br>
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<div align="center"><strong><font face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" color="#ff0000" size="7">URGENT </font></strong></div>
<div align="center"><strong><font size="6"><font color="#4f604f" size="7"> Telehealth News Update</font> </font></strong></div>
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<div><font color="#8a383a"><font size="2"><strong>Telehealth Leadership Initiative</strong></font> </font></div><br></font></td></tr></tbody></table>
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<div align="center"> <br><font face="Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" color="#4f604f"><font size="2"><strong>Telehealth Leadership Initiative</strong> </font></font></div>
<div align="center"><font face="Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" color="#4f604f" size="2"> </font></div>
<div align="center"><font face="Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" color="#4f604f" size="2">1500 K Street, NW</font></div>
<div align="center"><font face="Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" color="#4f604f" size="2">Suite 1100</font></div>
<div align="center"><font face="Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" color="#4f604f" size="2">Washington, DC 20005</font></div>
<div align="center"><font size="1"><font color="#4f604f"><font face="Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" size="2"><a href="http://www.telehealthleadership.org/" target="_blank">www.telehealthleadership.org</a></font> </font></font></div>
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<p align="left"><font color="#000000" size="4"><strong>Urgent Announcement -- Help Fix the Credentialing Problem. Sign-on to this Letter!</strong></font></p></font></td></tr></tbody></table>
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<div align="justify">Telehealth discussions are ongoing as the health care reform effort continues in Congress. Fixing the credentialing issue is one of the top priorities on the agenda for telehealth supporters in Congress. The major telehealth bill, HR 2068, the <em>Medicare Telehealth Enhancement Act of 2009,</em> introduced by telehealth champion, Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA), included a provision which mandated the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to accept the Joint Commission's telemedicine guidelines for compliance with the CMS's Conditions of Participation for credentialing physicians.</div>
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<div align="justify">The good news is that we believe this credentialing fix is receiving some traction in the discussions of what will be included in the House of Representatives' health care reform bill.</div>
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<div align="justify">In the very near future, Congress will ask the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) their opinion on this credentialing issue. When that happens, we want the Secretary to understand the magnitude of this credentialing problem. </div>
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<div align="justify">TLI is sending the letter below to HHS to make it clear the crippling impact that CMS's decision is having on telehealth providers. When the relevant officials at HHS gather to discuss this issue, we want this letter to be in their hands. </div>
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<div align="justify">If you share the concern that this credentialing issue could seriously impact the delivery of telehealth, you can do your part to help fix this problem by signing onto this letter. </div>
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<div align="justify">Please do it now! Time is of the essence. This letter must be sent to HHS in the next 24-36 hours. Act now!</div>
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<div align="justify">Please <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102642156191&s=4441&e=001G9BK3KtPTVO5tjMrsRKWFvkw7r67c1O_UoCI6yIpmI01eGbAwTc6myQriG6mhrpkEfYIKqNaWDSXqhDqfZjrncSNdVxgOnYE43pxbZsb4cgFzLxCuPo5FpZgJdXSbsq-keyiTrEKRrKdmf_IbY78uw==" target="_blank"><font color="#0000ff">click here</font></a> to sign this letter. </div>
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<div align="justify">Contact TLI at <font color="#0000ff"><u><a href="mailto:info@telehealthleadership.org" target="_blank">info@telehealthleadership.org</a></u></font> should you need further information or have questions.</div>
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