Telehealth Advocacy

Developed by the Academy's Telehealth Task Force under the oversight of the Legislative and Public Policy Committee, the Academy's current 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

• 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)