With the increasing consumer demand for telehealth accessibility, congress is currently evaluating eight bills that increase access and availability for telehealth and telemedicine for Americans. The movement towards efficiency in care is underway. There is a revolution happening in healthcare. Here are some highlights, feel free to reach out to your Representatives and let them know to pass these initiatives.

Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act of 2017: The goal of this bill is to improve the understanding of, and promote access to treatment for, chronic kidney disease, and for other purposes. This act includes promoting access to home dialysis treatments via telehealth.

Creating High-Quality Results and Outcomes Necessary to Improve Chronic (CHRONIC) Care Act of 2017: This bill’s purpose is to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to implement Medicare payment policies designed to improve management of chronic disease, streamline care coordination, and improve quality outcomes without adding to the deficit. This includes increasing convenience for Medicare Advantage enrollees through telehealth, allowing accountable care organizations the ability to expand use of telehealth and expanding use of telehealth for individuals that have had a stroke.

Furthering Access to Stroke Telemedicine (FAST) Act: This bill seeks to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth-eligible stroke services under the Medicare program.

Hallways to Health Act: The goal of this bill is to amend title XXI of the Social Security Act to improve access to, and the delivery of, children’s health services through school-based health centers, and for other purposes. This includes establishing demonstration programs to provide telehealth services at school based health centers.

Helping Expand Access to Rural Telehealth (HEART) Act of 2017: The purpose of this bill is to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand the coverage of telehealth services under the Medicare program in rural areas, to provide coverage for home-based monitoring for congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease under such program, and for other purposes.

Medicare Telehealth Parity Act of 2017: The goal of this bill is to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for an incremental expansion of telehealth coverage under the Medicare program.

Telehealth Innovation and Improvement Act of 2017: The purpose for this bill is to require the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to test the effect of including telehealth services in Medicare health care delivery reform models.

Veterans E-Health & Telemedicine Support (VETS) Act of 2017: The goal of this bill is to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the ability of health care professionals to treat veterans through the use of telemedicine, and for other purposes.