The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to uphold the federal health reform law will benefit telehealth initiatives, according to the American Telemedicine Association, Becker's Hospital Review reports (Roney, Becker's Hospital Review, 6/29).
Background
On Thursday, the Supreme Court in a 5-4 ruling upheld the major elements of the reform law.
The decision clears the way for health care providers to continue working on health IT projects related to the implementation of the reform law (iHealthBeat, 6/29).
ATA Says Ruling Will Benefit Telehealth Efforts
ATA CEO Jonathan Linkous in a statement said, "Now that the Supreme Court has ruled, we can move forward with the modernization of our health care delivery system, integrating telemedicine to improve care, reduce costs and increase access for everyone in America" (Barr, Modern Healthcare, 6/29).
ATA said the ruling will accelerate the adoption of telehealth systems, mobile health tools and other remote health care technologies because the decision:
- Removes some of the uncertainty that has caused health care providers to delay making investments in telehealth initiatives;
- Protects the telehealth-related investments that CMS already has made;
- Does not affect bipartisan efforts to fuel the adoption and growth of telehealth technology; and
- Does not weaken the fundamental value proposition of telehealth initiatives (Becker's Hospital Review, 6/29).