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HCA Memo of Support to Amend Telehealth Provisions for Home Care

The Home Care Association of New York State (HCA) strongly supports legislation, S.5852/A.8200, amending chapter 6 of 2015 in further support of telehealth services in New York.

New York’s home telehealth program and providers have been national leaders in applying this innovative technology to the care and medical management of patients, demonstrating improved patient outcomes, avoidance of preventable hospital and emergency room use, cost-savings to the system, and other critical health and system benefits.

HCA applauds Senator Young and Assemblywoman Russell for sponsoring and championing the passage of chapter 6, which effective January 1, 2016, provides for telehealth coverage under insurance policies and Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) contracts in the state. HCA further commends the sponsorship of the S.5852 amendments which are critical to ensuring that provisions set forth related to home care under chapter 6 function as intended for patients and for the goals of the new law.

The amendments – introduced in both houses (S.5852/A.8200) – ensure that the new article of public health law created for telehealth in Chapter 6 does not inadvertently conflict with home telehealth provisions otherwise existing elsewhere in statute for home care.