On March 30, 2019, Academy President Lisa Christensen, AuD, submitted comments to congressional champions on telehealth endorsing the role that telehealth can play in allowing patients access to hearing health care. In a letter to telehealth champions Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Brian Schatz (D-HI), Dr. Christensen wrote, “Once again, the Academy endorses the legislative language in the Medicare Telehealth Parity Act and looks to see similar language introduced as part of any bicameral, bipartisan effort to expand patient access to providers through telehealth. This legislation would allow for audiologists, among other providers, to be reimbursed by Medicare for services offered via telehealth.”
The Academy looks forward to working with Congress in the coming years to pass extensive legislation that would authorize Medicare to reimburse audiologists for services provided via telehealth.
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