Telehealth Policy and Advocacy

Why Telehealth Matters for Nutrition Care

Telehealth has become an essential tool for expanding access to RDNs services for older adults, people with disabilities, individuals in rural areas. and those managing chronic conditions like diabetes or kidney disease.

When Medicare telehealth flexibilities lapse or end, patients can lose access to timely, evidence-based nutrition care that prevents complications and reduces costs. Although these changes apply directly to Medicare, private payers and state Medicaid programs may align their policies with Medicare, creating a trickle-down effect that can further restrict access across payers.

Legislation

As Congress continues to evaluate how best to extend or make permanent these telehealth flexibilities. Nearly 140 pieces of legislation have been introduced addressing telehealth.

Broadly speaking, these bills focus on comprehensive or stand-alone extensions of the Medicare telehealth flexibilities put in place during the pandemic. They also address prescribing for substance use disorders, women's health, rural health, telehealth grants, tribal health and fraud prevention.

The leading bills are the:

• Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act of 2025 (H.R. 4206/S. 1261), which would make many pandemic-era waivers permanent.
• Telehealth Modernization Act (H.R. 5081/S. 2709), which would extend flexibilities through September 30, 2027.

There are also several standalone bills that provide extensions to individual provisions that were waived.

To learn more about these bills and to urge your members of Congress to support the legislation please visit our Action Center.

The Academy's Stance on Telehealth

The Academy's telehealth stance was adopted in 2021. The stance includes the following provisions:

• Nutrition care services are critical to comprehensive health care delivery systems and should be covered when provided via telehealth under the same coverage and payment policies as in-person care.
• Patients should have coverage for telehealth delivered via audio-only if they cannot effectively access or utilize audio-visual technologies.
• In declared emergency situations when access to qualified providers is otherwise severely impacted, the modification of certain consumer protection policies such as licensure and HIPAA requirements may be appropriate.
• Public funding and support for broadband internet, technology, digital literacy education and language services are necessary to address racial, economic and geographic health disparities and to address disabilities.
• Publicly funded research on telehealth should be nationally representative and include a wide variety of services and providers, including nutrition care services provided by registered dietitian nutritionists and nutrition and dietetics technicians, registered.

Telehealth Policy and Advocacy Resources

• Telehealth Laws Impacting State Dietetics/Nutrition Authorization Requirements (August 2025)
• State Telehealth Advocacy Checklist
• Academy Joins Hundreds of Stakeholders in Urging Senate Leaders to Prioritize Telehealth (September 2022)
• Tackling Telehealth: From Policy to Practice (Webinar Recorded January 7, 2022)
• Letter to Congress on Establishing a Pathway for Comprehensive Telehealth Reform in Medicare (January 2022)
• Letter to Congress on Priorities for Medicare Telehealth Reform (July 2021)
• Academy Advocates for MNT Telehealth Expansion in Letter to Blue Cross Blue Shield (March 24, 2020)
• Academy Advocates for MNT Telehealth Expansion in Letter to American’s Health Insurance Plans (March 24, 2020)
• Academy Advocates For Telehealth Extension In Every State (March 20, 2020)
• The Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP) Summary Chart of Key Telehealth Policy Areas:
  This is provided as a general reference and starting point for understanding state telehealth laws and regulations. However, RDNs should confirm that any referenced laws or policies apply specifically to the provision and billing of MNT services, as state telehealth statutes and Medicaid policies may vary in scope and provider applicability.