Academy of Neurology Lobbies for Permanent Telehealth Expansion Following COVID-19 Pandemic

The use of telehealth services has increased because of public health measures to reduce the chances of SARS-CoV-2 exposure. Telehealth care, however, was needed for people with neurologic conditions prior to the pandemic and will continue to be needed long after. Neurologists need the temporary expansion of telehealth to continue to play an essential role in health care.
  
During the 19th annual American Academy of Neurology (AAN) ‘Neurology on the Hill’ 186 neurologists from across the US will meet with federal lawmakers. In the virtual meetings, they will discuss the new American Academy of Neurology Telehealth Position Statement, published online May 13, 2021, in Neurology.
  
The new AAN Telehealth Position Statement updates the 2014 position statement which called for an expansion of telehealth but now also includes what health care providers have learned during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  
“People with neurologic conditions like Alzheimer disease, migraine, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson disease, ALS or epilepsy often must visit their neurologist many times a year to monitor the progression of disease and to have medications adjusted,” said Orly Avitzur, MD, MBA, FAAN, president of the American Academy of Neurology. “However, this can be challenging due to mobility issues, lack of reliable transportation and cost. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to neurology practices dramatically reshaping the delivery of care for their patients. The American Academy of Neurology is asking members of Congress for a permanent expansion of telehealth services to improve safety and access to care and to reduce health care costs for people with neurologic disease.”
  
The lists have benefits that include improved access to neurologic care and can enhance comfort, convenience, and safety particularly for people with limited mobility due to their medical condition or need for home medical support equipment, and reduced travel time and associated costs. Another benefit includes reduced time away from work and stress.
  
“Telehealth won’t replace all in-person neurologic care, but for people with neurologic conditions, it has been shown to complement it,” said position statement author Jaime Hatcher-Martin, MD, PhD, of SOC Telemed in Reston, Virginia. “It is also important that people have options. In addition to video visits, telehealth visits by phone are essential to ensure access to care for people who either cannot afford or who do not have access to highspeed broadband internet.”