Increasing Access to Telehealth in CT

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Dear Connecticut Nursing Community,

            I am writing to gain support from my fellow professionals on the recently proposed Connecticut bill, An Act Concerning Telehealth. I have chosen to write to you to gain support and wisdom as I advocate for increased access to healthcare for our population by including out-of-state telehealth providers in Connecticut. In addition, it preserves payment parity of telehealth services for the uninsured population. As Registered Nurses (RNs), we understand the crucial aspect of equitable and convenient access to healthcare for the patients we serve. Working in Connecticut, I know you have seen the barriers to care that impede continued access to necessary services.

Topic Presentation

            The critical issue I am addressing is the pending provider shortage in the coming years and its detrimental effect on access to medical care. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), in 2030, the United States of America will experience a shortage of 121,300 physicians due to the physician demand greatly outweighing the supply (Zhang et al., 2020). This deficit will negatively impact care delivery and contribute to adverse patient outcomes. As you may be aware, Governor Lamont issued several Executive Orders (EOs) in 2020 by modifying current state telehealth practices to increase continued access to healthcare services for Connecticut residents. These temporary EOs allowed out-of-state providers to provide telehealth services in Connecticut during increased care needs. These EOs are set to expire on June 30, 2024 (Dube, 2023), which will detrimentally impact our residents and strip previously developed provider-patient rapport. Patient access to care must be increased by utilizing all available resources to meet the current demand and anticipated burden. Including out-of-state providers in Connecticut's telehealth policy will aid in meeting the needs of our growing population when the population outweighs the current provider supply. Patient outcomes will improve when they have access to the required care. In addition, fair payment for both provider and patient will promote continued care for medical services needed. By providing increased healthcare practitioner availability through telehealth, reducing transportation to obtain care, and protecting fair payment, this bill can provide resources to meet the growing needs of our valued population.

Description of the Author

I am a Certified Pediatric Nurse in a pediatric emergency department in Connecticut. Our patient volume continues to be overwhelming for non-acute issues due to a lack of appointment availability. Conversely, I see severe exacerbation of chronic disease due to the inability to obtain follow-up appointments and close continuation of care. Many of our chronically debilitated patients have specialists in Boston, and transportation to these appointments is burdensome for both patient and family. As RNs, we know the importance of assessing our patients' ability to transport to and from medical care and seeing how these barriers cause detrimental health effects when unmet. Increasing telehealth access services additionally allows cost savings to patients by decreasing travel time, eliminating the time required to take off from work and costs associated with clinic and emergency department visits (Mahtta et al., 2021). As Connecticut RNs, we must act upon and advocate for the passing of this bill to provide patients with convenient care to promote adherence.

Description of Proposal for Policy Approach/Solution

            As RNs, we all see the benefits of adherence to treatment regimens and close-patient follow-up to promote self-management of chronic health conditions. In addition, we know the advantages of providing convenient access to care for patients in rural and underserved areas. This bill will improve access to care providers of all specialties by including out-of-state providers providing telehealth to Connecticut residents; it also expands the inclusion of telehealth providers to include alternative therapists such as music or art therapists to assist with palliative care when leaving home is not feasible. Improving access to care will assist in managing the increasing aging population with the limited availability of providers.

Description of Assistance

            I am offering to assist in supporting the passing of this bill. I am beginning with you, my colleagues, to heighten awareness of this current issue and how it can benefit the future of nursing for ourselves and the patients we so dedicatedly serve. We will educate Connecticut stakeholders on this bill's impact to gain additional support and unite to bring our first-hand experience to legislation.

Follow-up

            Through the help of my direct colleagues and you, the Connecticut nursing community, we will submit a public testimony to the state legislature and arrange a Zoom meeting with Governor Lamont to discuss the importance the impact of this bill will have in Connecticut within the next three weeks, depending on availability. We will educate the legislative office about why we firmly stand behind the passing of this bill to better serve our patients in a time of need. Please get in touch with me at the email provided to coordinate availability times; I can be flexible to meet your needs. If I do not hear from you, I will follow up on the same public discussion board within the next week. Without this bill, an already overwhelmed healthcare system will continue to be burdened and insufficiently provide care to a vulnerable population. I appreciate your time advocating for an environment of accessible healthcare for our valued population.

 

With Regards,

Jessica Piliero, BSN, RN, CPN, MSN-FNP student

[email protected]

  

PilieroJ_NU501_PolicyBriefingPaper.docx