Telemedicine has become a lifeline for rural America—will it last?

From Modern Healthcare:

Providers in rural and underserved areas that have come to rely on telehealth are lobbying hard to keep what they see as a must-have for their organizations.

COVID-19 pandemic era waivers that extended telehealth reimbursement flexibilities expire Dec. 31 without congressional action. While most policy experts expect another extension to pass by year's end, industry executives are wary of making additional investments until they get more certainty. 

“About half of rural hospitals in the country are operating on negative margins,” said Carrie Cochran-McClain, chief policy officer of the industry trade group the National Rural Health Association. “It’s a very resource-strapped environment. So, in order to make some of the big investments and really make a movement to telehealth, we want to see more long-term predictability in some of those flexibilities [beyond] the end of the year. That's the message that we're trying to deliver on Capitol Hill.”

The concern comes as rural health providers see virtual care services catching on in their communities.