Bridging the Future of Healthcare: Key Takeaways from the 2024 CTeL Fall Digital Health Summit
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.
Revolutionizing the Workforce: Virtual Nursing
Dr. Mikhail Shneyder’s, CEO and Founder of Nightingale College, keynote on virtual nursing provided a sobering yet hopeful lens on the nursing workforce crisis. As the U.S. braces for a shortage of 500,000 bedside nurses by 2025, Dr. Shneyder championed bold solutions. “The outcomes we get are directly related to the regulatory framework we employ,” he stated, emphasizing the need for competency-based education, regulatory flexibility, and the deployment of virtual nursing to bridge rural healthcare gaps. He proposed leveraging broadband technology—“If we can do broadband in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, we can do it anywhere”—to ensure equitable care delivery.
Digital Tools and Mental Health: A Growing Nexus
Deborah C. Baker, JD, Director of Legal & Regulatory Policy for the American Psychological Association, highlighted how digital health interventions can alleviate mental health provider shortages and enhance access to care. Tools like FDA-approved digital therapeutics are filling critical gaps, particularly for adolescents, where asynchronous messaging has shown promising outcomes. However, broader adoption hinges on addressing reimbursement inconsistencies and fragmented regulations.
“Digital health tools hold immense potential,” Baker shared, “but their success depends on educating providers and aligning payer incentives to promote their integration.”
2025 Digital Health Agenda: Evidence, Transparency, and Bipartisan Collaboration
Federal policy experts, including Ed Simcox, Former Chief Technology Officer and Acting Chief Information Officer for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Aneesh Chopra, Chief Strategy Officer of Arcadia, stressed the need for robust evidence and transparency to sustain digital health innovation. Aneesh Chopra’s call for “actionable evidence” resonated as he outlined initiatives like standardized reporting frameworks and bipartisan support for telehealth expansion. The panel underscored the importance of addressing fraud concerns through identity assurance standards and fostering public-private partnerships to standardize data sharing.
Pioneering Precision Medicine: Digital Twins
One of the summit’s most exciting discussions revolved around digital twins. These virtual replicas of physical systems offer transformative potential for personalized medicine, from optimizing treatment plans to enhancing clinical trial diversity. “Digital twins are not just a technological leap; they’re a paradigm shift in how healthcare is delivered,” explained Dr. Habir Antil with George Mason University. However, the technology’s success requires overcoming challenges like data silos, privacy concerns, and algorithmic bias.
The Role of AI in Healthcare: Balancing Innovation and Oversight
The CTeL AI Blue Ribbon Collaborative tackled the complex intersection of AI, ethics, and regulation. Discussions highlighted the importance of “risk-driven regulation” and “human-in-the-loop” models to ensure AI enhances rather than replaces clinical judgment. Charles Keckler JD, PhD, Director, Doctor of Law and Policy, College of Professional Studies at Northeastern University, underscored a critical truth: “The fuel for all AI is data; the fuel for all healthcare AI is healthcare data.” Addressing bias in training datasets and ensuring equitable access emerged as top priorities.
Teledentistry: Reducing Costs and Improving Outcomes
Teledentistry’s integration into emergency departments could drastically reduce costs and improve care pathways for dental-related ED visits, which average $8,000 per visit. Case studies like Virginia Beach’s mobile dental services demonstrated potential savings of $7 million annually. “You simply cannot have good health without good oral health,” asserted Dr. Maria Kunstadter, Founder of TheTeledentists, advocating for holistic integration of oral health into broader care systems.
CTeL and TheTeleDentists have launched a TeleDentistry Emergency Department Pilot Program, placing teledentistry kiosks in emergency departments to offset the rising cost of untreated oral health ED, for more information visit here.
Key Policy Insights: Eric Hargan’s Vision
Opening the second day of the summit, former Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Eric Hargan delivered a forward-looking keynote that emphasized the transformative potential of patient autonomy in healthcare. Hargan highlighted the growing emphasis on remote monitoring technologies such as Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) and Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) as tools to empower individuals in managing chronic conditions. “The future of healthcare lies in giving patients greater control over their health,” he stated, outlining strategies to integrate lifestyle interventions—including nutrition, exercise, and stress management—into digital health frameworks. Hargan’s insights underscored the need for policies that balance technological innovation with equitable access and patient-centric approaches.
“The future of healthcare lies in giving patients greater control over their health.” - Eric Hargan, CEO and Founder of The Hargan Group
Insights from the Congressional Panels
The congressional panels provided a bipartisan perspective on the future of telehealth. Key speakers, including Jackie Weinrich, Health Policy Analyst for Congresswoman Doris Matsui, and Abbygayle Brewington, Legislative Assistant Congressman John Carter, highlighted ongoing efforts to secure permanent funding for telehealth services. Matsui’s team is prioritizing legislative efforts to repeal the six-month in-person requirement for Medicare telehealth and to ensure continuity in DEA waivers for controlled substance prescribing. Meanwhile, Carter’s office emphasized the importance of rural telehealth infrastructure, with appropriations targeting pediatric mental health services and HRSA telehealth programs. Both offices acknowledged the challenge of funding but remained optimistic about achieving bipartisan solutions. “It’s not if we want to get it done, but how we’re going to pay for it,” Weinrich remarked, underscoring the urgency of securing permanent telehealth policies.
Jackie Weinrich and Abbygale Brewington discuss telehealth policy expecations in the new year with Ben Traynam, JD, Partner at Hancock, Daniel & Johnson.
“It’s not if we want to get it done, but how we’re going to pay for it.”
Navigating DEA Regulations: Scott Brinks’ Perspective
Scott Brinks, former DEA Section Chief, delivered a critical panel discussion on the complexities surrounding the DEA’s Public Health Emergency waivers and their implications for telehealth prescribing. Brinks highlighted the delays in finalizing the DEA’s special registration rule, which would allow telehealth providers to prescribe controlled substances without in-person visits. He emphasized the importance of addressing fragmented state regulations and improving identity verification standards to mitigate fraud. “To ensure the sustainability of telehealth, we must strike a balance between accessibility and the safeguards that protect patients and the healthcare system,” Brinks noted. He called for greater stakeholder engagement to align federal and state policies on telehealth prescribing.
“To ensure the sustainability of telehealth, we must strike a balance between accessibility and the safeguards that protect patients and the healthcare system.”
Critical Policy Areas: Reimbursement, Consent, and Certificate of Need
Several sessions tackled pressing operational challenges in digital health, focusing on reimbursement frameworks, patient consent, and the impact of Certificate of Need (CON) laws. Experts discussed the complexities of maximizing reimbursement under evolving physician fee schedules, the importance of clear and compliant patient consent processes in telehealth, and the need for CON reform to remove barriers to telehealth expansion. Speakers highlighted how simplifying regulations and ensuring parity in reimbursement could significantly enhance telehealth adoption. Reforms in CON laws, particularly for telehealth-only services, were identified as crucial for fostering innovation and equitable access to care.
A Hopeful Closing: Congressman Troy Balderson
Congressman Troy Balderson closed the summit with an optimistic outlook, advocating for a potential two-year extension of telehealth flexibilities. His remarks highlighted bipartisan support for making telehealth a permanent fixture in U.S. healthcare. “We must ensure telehealth remains accessible and affordable for all Americans,” he said, energizing attendees with his commitment to legislative action.
Congressman Troy Balderson addressing the 2024 CTeL Fall Digital Health Summit. PC: Troy Balderson Communications
Call to Action: Building a Unified Digital Health Future
The summit concluded with an urgent call for collaboration across sectors. From reshaping outdated regulatory frameworks to fostering innovation through public-private partnerships, the themes of unity and action echoed throughout. Policymakers, providers, and innovators were urged to prioritize equitable access, robust data systems, and patient-centered solutions to ensure digital health thrives.
As CTeL’s discussions demonstrated, the future of healthcare lies at the crossroads of innovation and collaboration. Whether through virtual nursing, AI integration, or telehealth advancements, the collective efforts of stakeholders hold the promise of a more sustainable and accessible healthcare ecosystem.
We hope you will join CTeL at our upcoming 2025 events including our March Digital Health Tech Showcase and the Spring 2025 Digital Health Summit and Capitol Hill Day in June 2025. For more information visit out events page.