President Trump Releases Executive Order on Improving Rural Health Care and Telehealth
President Donald Trump issued an executive order August 3 on
Improving Rural Health Care and Telehealth.
The order contains four main areas:
- Telehealth – HHS is directed to issue a regulation within 60 days extending certain Medicare telehealth flexibilities granted under COVID-19 beyond the public health emergency.
- New Rural Hospital Financing Models – HHS is directed to announce a new payment model within 30 days that would allow rural areas to deliver innovative, high-quality, value-based care.
- Physical and Communications Infrastructure – Federal agencies are directed to improve rural health care’s physical and communications infrastructure.
- Rural Policy Initiatives – HHS is directed to release a report within 30 days to improve rural health care by eliminating regulations, developing initiatives to improve health outcomes, reducing maternal mortality and morbidity, and improving mental health.
WHA has been
strongly advocating for permanently extending the telehealth flexiibilities granted during the COVID-19 pandemic, and this is a further signal that the Trump administration intends to use its executive authority to extend flexibilities that are within its power to do so. At the same time,
WHA has been pressing the Wisconsin congressional delegation to push for making these flexibilities permanent in the COVID relief package that is being negotiated in Congress.
While the details on additional rural initiatives under this order are scarce at this time, WHA will continue to follow new developments and will share additional details as they are available.
This story originally appeared in the August 06, 2020 edition of WHA Newsletter