Dear Senators Schatz, Wicker, Cochran, Cardin, Thune and Warner:
On behalf of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Congress of Neurological
Surgeons (CNS), we commend you for introducing S. 1016, the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary
and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act. We support efforts to improve the availability
this well-established and expanding service delivery method for Medicare beneficiaries.
If enacted, this bipartisan legislation will expand telehealth services in Medicare by removing outdated
restrictions, improve care outcomes, make it easier for patients to connect with their health care providers,
and help cut costs for patients and providers. We believe that telehealth is a critical expansion of access to
high-quality neurosurgical services for patients across the country, both in rural and urban areas. As you
are aware, according to studies, telehealth and remote patient monitoring (RPM) have been shown to
improve care and patient satisfaction while reducing costs. Additionally, the AANS and CNS strongly
support the provision that lifts restrictions for the purposes of acute stoke evaluation. The use of
“telestroke” has proven highly effective in improving patient access to quality stroke care.
The CONNECT for Health Act is a bipartisan approach to increase the use of telehealth and RPM in
Medicare. We thank you for your continued leadership on this issue and look forward to with you on this
legislation as it moves forward through the legislative process. In the meantime, if you have any questions
or need additional information, please contact us.
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