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American Telemedicine Association Announces Official Partners of First-Ever Telehealth Awareness Week 2021

Virtual Patient Perspective Webinar featuring Cleveland Clinic’s Adrienne Boissy, MD, Walter Panzirer, Helmsley Charitable Trust, and Patient Advocacy Leaders - September 24

WASHINGTON, DC, SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 – The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) today announced the Endorsing Partners and Sponsors supporting the inaugural Telehealth Awareness Week, a diverse coalition of healthcare organizations, telehealth service providers, patient advocacy groups and other stakeholders committed to supporting the advancement of telehealth. Telehealth Awareness Week is taking place September 19-25.

"Our Endorsing Partners have been instrumental in highlighting the significant ways broader access to virtual care has benefitted the communities they serve," said Ann Mond Johnson, CEO of the ATA. "We are thankful to have their support as we take this critical step in bringing national attention to our most important message: Telehealth is Health."

The 27 Telehealth Awareness Week Endorsing Partners represent patient and professional organizations dedicated to improving access to telehealth through education and advocacy, including:

"The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the role of telehealth and tele-mental health in helping patients receive timely and safe care and services," said Elizabeth Franklin, President of the Cancer Support Community (CSC). "CSC strongly urges policymakers to permanently extend current flexibilities in telehealth and tele-mental health services to ensure that all patients, including those impacted by cancer, can maintain access to these important services now and in the future. We also must seize this opportunity to leverage telehealth and tele-mental health services in a way that breaks down unnecessary barriers to care and advances health equity in the health care system."

"Increased access to telehealth services has been a lifeline for many rare disease patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a survey conducted last fall, NORD found that almost 40% of rare disease patients traveled more than 60 miles for their routine medical care," said Heidi Ross, Director of Policy, National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD). "Telehealth has enabled patients to see their health care providers safely from home and meet their complex health needs even in the midst of a global pandemic. Patients are looking to state and federal lawmakers to ensure that laws and regulations are in place to enable them to continue to benefit from telehealth now and after the COVID-19 pandemic ends."

Virtual Patient Perspective Webinar: September 24, 2pm ET
Adrienne Boissy, MD, Chief Experience Officer, Cleveland Clinic, and Walter Panzirer, Trustee, Helmsley Charitable Trust will deliver the opening and closing keynotes, respectively, at the ATA's Virtual Patient Perspective Webinar taking place September 24 at 2pm ET. Patient advocacy leaders and healthcare professionals from several Telehealth Awareness Week Endorsing Partners, including the ALS Association, Cancer Support Community, Muscular Dystrophy Association, National Hemophilia Foundation, National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), National Psoriasis Foundation and Susan G. Komen will also share insights on the critical role telehealth plays in care delivery during the webinar. Register here.

To view the full list of activities taking place during Telehealth Awareness Week, visit the Telehealth Awareness Week Events Calendar.

Educational resources provided by Telehealth Awareness Week partners and other stakeholders are available in the Telehealth Awareness Week Resource Center.

The inaugural Telehealth Awareness Week has been made possible with the support of our Founding Partners, organizations committed to a future of care delivery that ensures all Americans, including underserved patient populations and rural communities, have access to quality care, as well as sponsors including:

• HCA Healthcare
• Health Recovery Solutions
• The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust
• Logitech

See all Telehealth Awareness Week sponsors: https://telehealthawareness.americantelemed.org/sponsors

Telehealth effectively connects individuals and their healthcare providers when in-person care is not necessary or not possible. Using telehealth services, patients can receive care, consult with a provider, get information about a condition or treatment, arrange for prescriptions, and receive a diagnosis. The most commonly used approaches in telehealth include virtual visits, chat-based Interactions, remote patient monitoring, as well as emerging technology-based tools including artificial intelligence (AI), digital diagnostics, and digital clinical trials.

About the ATA

As the only organization completely focused on advancing telehealth, the American Telemedicine Association is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to safe, affordable, and appropriate care when and where they need it, enabling the system to do more good for more people. The ATA represents a broad and inclusive member network of leading healthcare delivery systems, academic institutions, technology solution providers and payers, as well as partner organizations and alliances, working to advance industry adoption of telehealth, promote responsible policy, advocate for government and market normalization, and provide education and resources to help integrate virtual care into emerging value-based delivery models. @americantelemed #telehealthishealth #ATApolicy