[{"innerBlocks":[],"name":"core\/freeform","postId":3446,"blockType":{"name":"core\/freeform","keywords":[],"attributes":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"providesContext":[],"usesContext":[],"selectors":[],"supports":{"className":false,"customClassName":false,"reusable":false},"styles":[],"variations":[],"apiVersion":3,"title":"Classic","description":"Use the classic WordPress editor.","category":"text"},"originalContent":"A bill that seeks to remove current restrictions by allowing VA clinicians to treat veterans via telehealth, regardless of location, is gaining momentum in Congress.

Under current law, VA physicians can only waive state licensing requirements and provide telehealth treatment across state lines if both the veteran and the doctor are located in a federally owned facility. However, the Veterans E-Health & Telemedicine Support (VETS) Act of 2017 removes these barriers and would allow VA health professionals to practice telehealth across state lines, as long as they are qualified and practice within the scope of their authorized federal duties.

In addition, under provisions of the VETS Act, veterans would no longer be required to travel to a VA facility and instead could receive telemedicine treatment from any location, including their home or a community center.

The bill was introduced this week in the House of Representatives by Reps. Julia Brownley (D-Calif.) and Glenn Thompson (R-Penn.). A companion bill was introduced in the Senate by Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii).

\u201cThe VA has seen tremendous growth and interest in telehealth, and we should continue to find new ways to connect veterans with the providers that they need, no matter their physical location,\u201d said Brownley in a written statement. \u201cThe VETS Act will empower veterans with more options and greater access to the care that they have earned and deserve.\u201d

Also See:<\/b> VA expanding telehealth to meet growing needs of veterans<\/a>

The proposed legislation has received support from industry groups, including the American Telemedicine Association and Health IT Now.

\u201cThe VETS Act takes commonsense steps to removing artificial barriers standing in the way of veterans\u2019 access to healthcare,\u201d said Joel White, executive director of Health IT Now. \u201cReps. Thompson and Brownley and Senators Hirono and Ernst rightly recognize how technology and telehealth can alleviate geographic burdens on both patients and providers.\u201d

For its part, ATA sent a letter in late March to VETS Act co-sponsor Senator Ernst, expressing the group\u2019s strong support for the bill, which\u2014among other provisions\u2014would create a state licensure exemption to allow VA-credentialed healthcare professionals to work across state lines to perform telemedicine without having to obtain a new license in that state.

\u201cThis will allow a VA health professional to serve a veteran with a single state license,\u201d wrote Jonathan Linkous, the ATA\u2019s chief executive officer. \u201cIn 2011, Congress, without opposition, gave comparable statutory authority to the Department of Defense for health providers and patients. We supported that legislation and have supported comparable authority for the Department of Veterans Affairs and other federal healthcare since then.\u201d","saveContent":"A bill that seeks to remove current restrictions by allowing VA clinicians to treat veterans via telehealth, regardless of location, is gaining momentum in Congress.

Under current law, VA physicians can only waive state licensing requirements and provide telehealth treatment across state lines if both the veteran and the doctor are located in a federally owned facility. However, the Veterans E-Health & Telemedicine Support (VETS) Act of 2017 removes these barriers and would allow VA health professionals to practice telehealth across state lines, as long as they are qualified and practice within the scope of their authorized federal duties.

In addition, under provisions of the VETS Act, veterans would no longer be required to travel to a VA facility and instead could receive telemedicine treatment from any location, including their home or a community center.

The bill was introduced this week in the House of Representatives by Reps. Julia Brownley (D-Calif.) and Glenn Thompson (R-Penn.). A companion bill was introduced in the Senate by Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii).

\u201cThe VA has seen tremendous growth and interest in telehealth, and we should continue to find new ways to connect veterans with the providers that they need, no matter their physical location,\u201d said Brownley in a written statement. \u201cThe VETS Act will empower veterans with more options and greater access to the care that they have earned and deserve.\u201d

Also See:<\/b> VA expanding telehealth to meet growing needs of veterans<\/a>

The proposed legislation has received support from industry groups, including the American Telemedicine Association and Health IT Now.

\u201cThe VETS Act takes commonsense steps to removing artificial barriers standing in the way of veterans\u2019 access to healthcare,\u201d said Joel White, executive director of Health IT Now. \u201cReps. Thompson and Brownley and Senators Hirono and Ernst rightly recognize how technology and telehealth can alleviate geographic burdens on both patients and providers.\u201d

For its part, ATA sent a letter in late March to VETS Act co-sponsor Senator Ernst, expressing the group\u2019s strong support for the bill, which\u2014among other provisions\u2014would create a state licensure exemption to allow VA-credentialed healthcare professionals to work across state lines to perform telemedicine without having to obtain a new license in that state.

\u201cThis will allow a VA health professional to serve a veteran with a single state license,\u201d wrote Jonathan Linkous, the ATA\u2019s chief executive officer. \u201cIn 2011, Congress, without opposition, gave comparable statutory authority to the Department of Defense for health providers and patients. We supported that legislation and have supported comparable authority for the Department of Veterans Affairs and other federal healthcare since then.\u201d","order":0,"get_parent":{},"attributes":[],"attributesType":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"dynamicContent":""}]

Bill would allow use of telehealth for vets across state lines

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