Charleston, W. Va. (WDVM) — At the height of the Coronavirus pandemic, telehealth or medical advice given over the telephone was implemented to encourage social distancing.
Now Senator Shelley Moore Capito and two other senators are looking to make telehealth a more common practice.
Senator Capito joined by Senators Todd Young and Angus King announced new legislation to study the impacts of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. This new legislation will assess key health care metrics, like utilisation and hospital readmission rates, for patients that used telehealth during the pandemic.
More importantly, this legislation will allow for the potential expansion of telehealth to under-served areas in West Virginia. Senator Capito released a statement earlier that read:
“Telehealth plays such an important role in offering quality, accessible care in our country – especially in more rural states like West Virginia. It is crucial that we fully understand the impact that telehealth has on our communities and keep the highest level of care accessible to patients both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic."
This bipartisan legislation was accompanied by a legislation introduced to the House of Representatives just a few days prior. This House act was introduced by representatives Liz Cheney, Greg Gianforte, David Kustoff, and Jason Smith.