After a week of intense negotiations and political back-and-forth, Congress has passed the American Relief Act, 2025, narrowly avoiding a government shutdown. This landmark legislation ensures the continuation of essential healthcare programs and includes critical provisions to sustain telehealth access for millions of Americans, albeit for 90 days.

With Congress at a standstill over passing the funding bill, the looming possibility of a government shutdown threatens to disrupt many critical services. Telehealth, a cornerstone of healthcare innovation since the COVID-19 pandemic, stands to face significant setbacks if funding stalls and policy decisions remain in limbo. Here’s a closer look at what this means for telehealth and how hospitals, providers, and organizations can prepare.

The COVID-19 pandemic revolutionized healthcare delivery, with telehealth emerging as a cornerstone of accessible, patient-centered care. Millions of Americans reaped the benefits of temporary telehealth flexibilities enacted under emergency provisions, which dismantled barriers and expanded access to care across urban, suburban, and rural communities alike. These flexibilities were especially transformative for behavioral health services, chronic disease management, and routine care—areas that historically faced significant access challenges. However, with the end of the pandemic emergency period, these measures were at risk of expiring, threatening to disrupt care for millions.

The end-of-year congressional budget bill serves as a crucial intervention, offering a two-year extension of telehealth flexibilities. While this provides immediate relief, it is not a long-term solution. The ultimate goal must remain clear: permanent telehealth legislation by 2027, ensuring that healthcare access is seamless and uninterrupted for all Americans.

To better serve our members and create more impactful, streamlined discussions, CTeL is transitioning to a new working group model starting January 2025. This updated structure will enhance the depth and focus of our conversations while freeing up valuable time on your calendar.

In an era where digital health solutions are reshaping the landscape of care, addressing inequities in telehealth access is more urgent than ever. A new publication, Centering Digital Equity to Advance Reproductive Telehealth Care Access, co-authored by RHITES and the Center for Telehealth & e-Health Law (CTeL), offers a compelling roadmap for making reproductive telehealth more inclusive and accessible.

This collaboration delves into the intersection of digital equity and reproductive healthcare, highlighting the critical barriers that many face in accessing telehealth services. Among these challenges are limited broadband connectivity, technological literacy gaps, and policy restrictions that disproportionately impact marginalized populations.

The 2024 Fall Digital Health Summit, hosted by the Center for Telehealth & e-Health Law (CTeL), gathered innovators, policymakers, and healthcare leaders in a spirited dialogue about the evolving landscape of digital health. The event offered a deep dive into some of the most pressing challenges and promising advancements in telehealth, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital therapeutics. Here’s a recap of the key themes, insights, and action items that emerged from the summit.

In the rapidly evolving landscape of healthcare technology, artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer just a buzzword—it's becoming a critical tool in clinical settings. But how do we ensure these powerful algorithms truly benefit patients? The Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy's (ASTP) 2024 Annual Meeting offered a fascinating glimpse into the cutting-edge world of AI validation.

The benefits of telehealth are undeniable, yet its future for Medicare beneficiaries hangs in the balance. With expanded Medicare coverage for telehealth set to expire on December 31, 2024, more than 100 bipartisan lawmakers, led by Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), are rallying for action. Their unified call emphasizes the urgency of including an extension of telehealth provisions in this year’s appropriations package.

The story of telehealth is fundamentally a narrative of human innovation—a testament to our ability to overcome geographical and technological barriers in delivering critical healthcare services. Its origins trace back to the Civil War, where telegraph lines first transformed medical communication from a localized to a potentially expansive endeavor. What began as a method of coordinating medical supplies and reporting battlefield casualties would gradually evolve into a sophisticated digital healthcare ecosystem.

As the December 31, 2024, expiration date for expanded Medicare telehealth coverage looms, the Center for Telehealth & e-Health Law (CTeL) is actively engaging with policymakers to ensure the preservation of vital virtual care services. In partnership with Congresswoman Doris Matsui’s office, CTeL is working to incorporate telehealth provisions into the upcoming end-of-year appropriations package. The stakes are high: without legislative action, millions of Medicare beneficiaries risk losing access to telehealth services they have come to depend on.

As we reflect during this season of gratitude, it is an opportune moment to celebrate the groundbreaking strides made in telehealth, artificial intelligence (AI), remote patient monitoring (RPM), and digital health. These advancements, underpinned by transformative legislation, have opened doors to accessible and equitable care for millions.

The Center for Telehealth and e-Health Law (CTeL) has presented a comprehensive agenda urging the 119th Congress to champion telehealth access, remote monitoring technologies, and artificial intelligence (AI) innovation in healthcare. In a detailed letter to Congressional leaders, CTeL outlined legislative priorities that address urgent healthcare challenges while fostering cost-effective, patient-centered care models.

The FDA Digital Health Advisory Committee convened on November 20-21, 2024, to address the evolving role of generative AI in healthcare. This pivotal meeting brought together experts to discuss the opportunities and challenges posed by these technologies, emphasizing safety, equity, and accountability.

The Center for Telehealth and e-Health Law (CTeL) is calling on the incoming Trump Administration to continue the momentum of digital health innovation and policy reforms initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a recent letter to Linda McMahon and Howard Lutnick, Co-Chairs of the Presidential Transition Team, CTeL outlined recommendations to expand telehealth access, bolster measures to combat the opioid crisis, and accelerate the adoption of remote monitoring and AI-driven health technologies.

We’re proud to see Christa Natoli, Executive Director of the Center for Telehealth and e-Health Law (CTeL), featured prominently in Inside Telehealth's coverage of the DEA’s extension of telemedicine prescribing flexibilities through 2025. This highlights CTeL’s leadership in advocating for patient-centered telehealth policies and sustainable solutions for prescribing controlled substances.

In a pivotal decision, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a third temporary extension of telemedicine prescribing flexibilities for controlled substances. Effective from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2025, the rule maintains critical healthcare access for millions of patients while providing time for regulators to refine long-term telehealth policies.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has completed its review of the "Third Temporary Extension of COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescription of Controlled Medications," allowing patients continued access to prescribed controlled substances via telehealth without an in-person visit. This temporary extension offers an important reprieve for patients and providers alike as we await a proposed rule for a permanent telemedicine prescribing policy.

The Center for Telehealth & e-Health Law (CTeL) has announced new leadership for its Artificial Intelligence (AI) Blue Ribbon Collaborative, a key initiative supporting healthcare organizations in navigating the clinical and legal implications of AI. The Collaborative, which brings together experts from diverse disciplines, serves as an independent resource to aid healthcare entities in integrating AI effectively and responsibly into clinical practice, adhering to rigorous ethical and regulatory standards.

In today’s fast-evolving healthcare landscape, remote patient monitoring (RPM) is redefining patient care. Yet, as these technologies become increasingly integrated into patients’ daily lives, concerns about privacy and security are intensifying. At CTeL’s third annual RPM conference, experts Anura Fernando, Global Head of Medical Device Security at UL Solutions, and Dr. Anthony Magit, Associate Chief Medical Officer at Rady Children’s Hospital, provided crucial insights into the risks and solutions for maintaining privacy in RPM. Their discussion underscored the need for not just secure data, but also secure environments, and offered healthcare providers a roadmap to safeguarding patient privacy in this new era.

As telehealth and AI technologies continue to transform healthcare delivery, remote patient monitoring (RPM) stands out for its potential to improve patient outcomes. But with innovation comes a growing list of compliance challenges. At the Center for Telehealth and e-Health Law (CTeL)’s third annual Remote Patient Monitoring Conference, legal expert Adam Solander tackled the thorny issues of data privacy, informed consent, and compliance as they pertain to RPM systems.