<div>Greetings,</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Below is a summary of S 2741 introduced by Sen Tom Udall of New Mexico. While this is a stand alone bill dealing with telehealth issues, every effort will be made to get all of parts of it included in the Health Care Reform package.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The text of the bill is not yet available, but the summary indicates that it will address both credentialing and privileging by proxy. As you recall privleging by proxy is not included in the House Health Care Reform package. I will send you the pertinent text from the bill as soon as it is available.</div>
<div> </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: Tue, Nov 10, 2009 at 2:41 PM<br>Subject: Senator Tom Udall Introduces Major Telehealth Legislation; Includes TLI-Endorsed Credentialing and Privileging Provisions<br>To: <a href="mailto:csbritain@gmail.com">csbritain@gmail.com</a><br>
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<div align="center"> <font face="Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" color="#4f604f"><font size="2"><strong>Telehealth Leadership Initiative</strong> </font></font></div>
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<td style="FONT-SIZE: 8pt; COLOR: #4f604f; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" align="left"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 8pt; COLOR: #4f604f; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" face="Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" color="#4f604f" size="1"><strong><font size="3">Senator Udall Introduces The TECH Act, Telehealth Supporters Hopeful to have Provisions Included in Senate's Health Care Reform Bill...<br>
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<div align="justify">The problem confronting the telehealth community regarding credentialing and privileging is a step closer to a solution, with the introduction of the Rural Telemedicine Enhancing Community Health (TECH) Act of 2009 (S. 2741), sponsored by Senator Tom Udall (D-NM). </div>
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<div align="justify">TECH addresses the issue of credentialing and privileging of telehealth providers by requiring the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to allow credentialing and privileging by proxy. This language aims to decrease the administrative and financial burden that is often caused by requiring telehealth providers to be individually credentialed and privileged by all hospitals in which they administer care, via telehealth. <br>
<br>The Senator's credentialing and privileging language for telehealth providers is more expansive than the language included in the House-passed health care reform bill. In contrast, the Senate language requires CMS to develop regulations to implement both a process for telehealth practitioners to be credentialed and privileged by proxy, as well as a "hold harmless" criteria for those institutions using credentialing and privileging by proxy. The "hold harmless" criteria would remain until CMS's regulations regarding these issues are finalized.<br>
<br>This credentialing and privileging provision is jointly endorsed by TLI, The Joint Commission, and the American Telemedicine Association.<br> <br>In addition, the Udall legislation also calls for the establishment of Telehealth Pilot Projects to analyze clinical outcomes and the cost effectiveness of using telehealth services to provide health care/therapies for chronic diseases and conditions. The legislation also aims to increase access for tele-stroke services and telehealth services administered at Indian Health Service facilities. <br>
<br>The introduction of this legislation is a huge success for the telehealth community and those remote, rural, and underserved populations that rely on telehealth for quality health care services. However, there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure that the TECH Act is included in the Senate's overall health care reform bill. <br>
<br>The telehealth community needs your help to gain Senate support for this initiative!! This can be done by contacting your state's Senators (phone call, e-mail, and/or letter) urging them to include S. 2741 in the Senate's health care reform bill. <br>
<br><font color="#4f604f">Please </font><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102817529780&s=4441&e=001MNKwa2piUUvpXqoql7ipI6_MQ4-53iePx1sKfyv72WBOpP8mnFG1bz2jClfws2Lrbx5UYMPxFI8QgrSUmMAryPd3kGDCUtNOHaLmBZ4kOXOFBaeGuN3wL7m4nZV3BmQRp1x83mdu8kqN29b1oEmAb_pRt4ZCdRSAkj_iEgzZoE8mCGkLh7lZeQ==" target="_blank" shape="rect"><font color="#4f604f">click here</font></a><font color="#4f604f"> to find your state's Senators and contact information. </font><br>
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<div align="justify"><font size="2">The House voted 220-215 late Saturday night in favor, of The <em>Affordable Health Care for America Act</em> (H.R. 3962). The President referred to the House's votes as "historic" and is calling upon the Senate to see this bill through to completion.<br>
<br>This legisation is considered to be the largest expasnion of health care coverage since Medicare was passed into law in 1965. Overall, the House bill includes provisions that will provide coverage for 96 percent of Americans, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The House bill also included major wins for the telehealth community, allowing for renal dialysis facilities as originating sites, creating of the Telehealth Advisory Committee, and permitting credentialing by proxy for telehealth providers. </font></div>
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