[Congressional Bills 117th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [S. Res. 805 Agreed to Senate (ATS)] <DOC> 117th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 805 Supporting the designation of the week of September 18 through September 24, 2022, as ``Telehealth Awareness Week''. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES September 28, 2022 Mr. Schatz (for himself, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Thune, Mr. Warner, and Mrs. Hyde-Smith) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to _______________________________________________________________________ RESOLUTION Supporting the designation of the week of September 18 through September 24, 2022, as ``Telehealth Awareness Week''. Whereas telehealth allows a health care practitioner to furnish health care services to a patient or a practitioner at a different physical location than the health care practitioner; Whereas telehealth has played a significant role in supporting access to quality health care services for millions of patients during the COVID-19 public health emergency and will continue to be essential beyond the end of the public health emergency; Whereas more than 28,000,000 Medicare beneficiaries used telehealth during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Whereas Medicare beneficiaries used 88 times more telehealth services during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic than they did in the prior year while the overall use of health care services among such beneficiaries remained relatively stable; Whereas, following the unprecedented use of telehealth and virtual care services in response to the public health emergency, telehealth now represents a critical component of care delivery, demonstrating the need to balance in-person and virtual care in the health care system; Whereas, in 2021, 91 percent of Medicare beneficiaries were satisfied with their telehealth experiences; Whereas legislative efforts to increase telehealth access have received bipartisan support in the Senate and the House of Representatives; Whereas the United States has the opportunity to help improve broader access to health services for all individuals, including members of rural and underserved communities; and Whereas ``Telehealth Awareness Week'' unites the efforts of patients, caregivers, health care providers, policymakers, and other stakeholders to advance the role of telehealth in health care: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate-- (1) supports the designation of the week of September 18 through September 24, 2022, as ``Telehealth Awareness Week''; (2) recognizes the impact of telehealth in delivering health care services for patients across the United States; and (3) urges that steps should be taken-- (A) to raise awareness about the benefits of expanding telehealth; (B) to highlight resources for health care providers and patients regarding telehealth; (C) to collect and analyze data on the impacts of telehealth; and (D) to promote continued access to telehealth for all communities and across settings beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. <all>