The Telehealth Modernization Act of 2024, a bipartisan, bicameral legislation, is progressing through Congress, which includes the following:
- Extension of certain telehealth flexibilities removing geographic requirements and expanding origination sites for telehealth services and extending them through the end of December 31, 2026 (was scheduled to expire 12/31/2024).
- This legislation also allows and extends audio only telehealth services, through December 31, 2026 (was scheduled to expire 12/31/2024).
This is great news for patients and providers to maintain access, convenience and to provide cost effective established evaluation and management services. The legislation has been sponsored by bipartisan members of Congress. If you recall, Dr. Larry Bucshon, a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and Congressman James Comer, Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, discussed this extensively and worked on extending it further. While ASIPP has spearheaded to make this a reality, numerous organizations have worked tirelessly led by AMA.
The pandemic demonstrated that patients across every age group could adapt to digital care delivery when circumstances required it. Even demographics that had traditionally resisted online services grew comfortable managing routine needs through virtual platforms in a matter of months.
That comfort now extends well beyond healthcare. The same patients who schedule telehealth visits on their phones also bank online, browse a fast withdrawal casino, or order groceries for delivery without a second thought. Instant, frictionless access has become the baseline expectation for every digital interaction.
For telehealth, this shift means that reverting to pre-pandemic restrictions would not just limit clinical access but would contradict the broader direction of consumer behavior. Providers who built out virtual infrastructure during the emergency period would be forced to scale back services that patients have come to rely on daily.
The legislative extensions outlined above recognize this reality. Maintaining flexible origination sites and preserving audio-only options ensures that the regulatory framework keeps pace with how patients actually use these services today. Without permanent authorization, the cycle of short-term renewals leaves both providers and patients in a state of uncertainty that discourages long-term investment in telehealth infrastructure.
The only deficiency is that it is not yet permanent. We will continue to work on this issue.