Sec. 2. Findings and sense of Congress
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Congress finds the following: The use of technology in health care and coverage of telehealth services are rapidly evolving. Research has found that telehealth services can expand access to care, improve the quality of care, and reduce spending, and that patients receiving telehealth services are satisfied with their experiences. Health care workforce shortages are a significant problem in many areas and for many types of health care clinicians. Telehealth increases access to care in areas with workforce shortages and for individuals who live far away from health care facilities, have limited mobility or transportation, or have other barriers to accessing care.
The use of health technologies can strengthen the expertise of the health care workforce, including by connecting clinicians to specialty consultations. Utilization of telehealth services in Medicare remains low, with only 0.25 percent of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries utilizing telehealth services in 2016. It is the sense of Congress that— health care providers can furnish safe, effective, and high-quality health care services through telehealth; and barriers to the use of telehealth should be removed.