CHICAGO — The American Medical Association (AMA) today supported the bipartisan Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act to expand the use of telemedicine to achieve quality care for patients.
The bill reflects the AMA's belief that that the appropriate use of telemedicine can greatly improve access to quality care while maintaining patient safety.
"This legislation has the potential to remove barriers to new health care delivery models that promote coordinated and patient-centered care. Importantly, the bill aims to maintain high standards whether a patient is seeing a physician in an office or via telemedicine," said AMA President Steven J. Stack, M.D. "Telemedicine can strengthen the patient-physician relationship and improve access for patients with chronic conditions and limited access to quality care. The AMA's guiding principles on telemedicine seek to foster innovation while promoting quality care."
The bipartisan sponsors see telemedicine as a way to broaden health care, reaching populations that struggle with access.
"This bill shows Congress at its best — combining deep thinking, hard work, compromise and bipartisanship. In the end, the bill could improve health outcomes and save money. We look forward to working with other supporters to advance this important legislation in Congress," Stack said.
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About the American Medical Association
The American Medical Association is the physicians’ powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises and, driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care.
