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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [S. Res. 840 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
118th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 840
Supporting the designation of the week of September 15 through September 21, 2024, as "Telehealth Awareness Week".
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IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 23, 2024
Mr. Schatz (for himself, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Thune, Mr. Warner, and Mrs. Hyde-Smith) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to
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RESOLUTION
Supporting the designation of the week of September 15 through September 21, 2024, as "Telehealth Awareness Week".
Whereas telehealth allows a health care practitioner to furnish health care services to a patient or a practitioner at a different physical location than the health care practitioner; Whereas telehealth played a significant role in supporting access to quality health care services for millions of patients during the COVID-19 public health emergency and continues to be important beyond the end of the public health emergency; Whereas Medicare beneficiaries used 88 times more telehealth services during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic than they did in the prior year; Whereas 25 percent of Medicare beneficiaries received at least 1 telehealth service in 2023; Whereas, in 2023, approximately 90 percent of Medicare beneficiaries who received a telehealth service were satisfied with their experience; Whereas, in 2023, telehealth was a routine health care modality with 13 percent of Medicare beneficiaries using telehealth in the last quarter of the calendar year; Whereas telehealth is a common care modality for Medicare beneficiaries to receive behavioral health services, with half of common psychotherapy services furnished under the original Medicare fee-for-service program delivered by telehealth in 2022; Whereas Federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics use telehealth to deliver services to rural and underserved populations; Whereas, following the unprecedented use of telehealth services in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency, telehealth now represents a critical component of health care delivery; Whereas legislative efforts to increase telehealth access have received bipartisan support in the Senate and the House of Representatives; Whereas the United States has an opportunity to help improve access to health services for all individuals, including members of rural and underserved communities; and Whereas "Telehealth Awareness Week" unites the efforts of patients, caregivers, health care providers, policymakers, and other stakeholders to advance the role of telehealth in health care: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate-- (1) designates the week of September 15 through September 21, 2024, as "Telehealth Awareness Week"; (2) recognizes the impact of telehealth in delivering health care services for patients across the United States; and (3) urges that steps should be taken to-- (A) raise awareness about the benefits of telehealth; (B) highlight resources for health care providers and patients regarding telehealth; (C) collect and analyze data on the impacts of telehealth; and (D) promote continued access to telehealth for all communities and across settings.