AASM Urges Congress to Reinstate Telehealth Flexibilities

WASHINGTON—The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) announced it has submitted a letter to congressional leaders outlining the disruption caused by the recent expiration of telehealth flexibilities. The letter includes recommendations to reinstate these flexibilities and enact retroactive reimbursement for these services.

“Patients with sleep disorders across the nation are deeply affected by this interruption,” the letter said. “The lapse in telehealth authorities has jeopardized patients’ ability to receive essential care for chronic sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia, and narcolepsy—conditions that directly impact cardiovascular health, mental well-being and workplace and driving safety.”

At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government ensured hospitals and health systems were able to leverage telehealth services to respond to the influx of unprecedented needs. These actions included the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) waiving certain regulatory requirements and Congress providing legislative support to ensure hospitals and health systems could quickly deploy virtual services. The fight to continue these waivers has been an ongoing battle with several political and health care organizations pushing for telehealth to continue.

Key requests in the letter are:

• Promptly reinstate Medicare telehealth flexibilities that have been in place since 2020.
• Enact retroactive reimbursement for telehealth services rendered during the shutdown.
• Clarify that telemedicine documentation is valid and sufficient for durable medical equipment (DME) orders and renewals.
• Preserve the ability of qualified health care professionals to conduct telemedicine visits from home-based offices when clinically appropriate.

“These scenarios are unsustainable,” the letter said. “Sleep medicine, by its nature, relies on remote monitoring, longitudinal care, and follow-up through digital and telehealth-enabled platforms. Medicare’s telehealth flexibilities have allowed patients to adhere to treatment and achieve measurable improvements in quality of life and overall health outcomes. The expiration of these flexibilities undermines years of progress in modern, patient-centered continuity of care.”

To read the full letter, click here.