This resolution designates the week of September 15, 2024, as Telehealth Awareness Week.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 840 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 840
Supporting the designation of the week of September 15 through
September 21, 2024, as ``Telehealth Awareness Week''.
_______________________________________________________________________
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
_______________________________________________________________________
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.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent.
Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S6337; text: CR S6335)
Llama 3.2 · runs locally in your browser
Ask anything about this bill. The AI reads the full text to answer.
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for new line