|
 Trump, who is counting on votes from backers in rural areas in the
2020 presidential election, said the new order would ensure that
telehealth services expanded during the pandemic remained in place
even after the public health emergency ended.
He also directed the Department of Health and Human Services to cut
regulatory burdens and develop a new payment model that allows rural
providers to waive some existing Medicare rules and ensure more
predictable financial payments.
Americans in rural areas are more likely to die of five leading
causes of death such as cancer and heart disease than their urban
counterparts, the White House said, with transportation challenges,
shortages of healthcare workers and a dwindling number of hospitals
diminishing access to good care.
"Prior to the pandemic, telehealth was fine, but it wasn't anything
raging, and I guess one of the only good things that we've gotten
out of this horrible situation is that telehealth has been
increased," Trump told reporters at the White House.
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) showed that virtual visits
by phone or video soared to almost 1.7 million per week in the last week of
April from 14,000 before the pandemic, according to the executive order.
The numbers have stayed high, even after in-person visits resumed in May, a sign
of growing acceptance of virtual service.
Trump also called for officials to develop within 30 days a specific plan to
boost investment in the communications infrastructure needed to boost rural
healthcare, and a separate report on ways to improve overall healthcare in rural
areas, reduce maternal deaths and improve mental health.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; editing by Richard Pullin)
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