Sinema’s bipartisan EASE Act increases telehealth access to specialty health care providers for rural communities across Arizona
WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema today introduced the bipartisan Equal Access to Specialty Care Everywhere (EASE) Act alongside Republican Senators Markwayne Mullin (Okla.) and Thom Tillis (N.C.). The Senators’ EASE Act uses telehealth to create a virtual specialty health care provider network for patients in rural and communities in need of complex care.
“Our bill ensures Arizonans in rural and underserved parts of our state don’t have to travel hours from their home to receive the care they need, increasing access to quality health care for all Arizonans. Through the creation of a virtual specialty care network, Arizonans can be connected to specialists across the country to help manage complex conditions like diabetes and chronic heart disease, and prevent expensive hospitalizations and ER visits,” said Sinema.
“As it stands, clinician shortages, an aging population, and barriers such as transportation disproportionately impact rural communities and decrease individuals’ access to specialty care,” said Mullin. “Harnessing the power of telehealth will address these needs and increase access to quality health care of which many patients are in desperate need. I am glad to join my colleagues in introducing this bill to ensure access to quality health care regardless of patients’ zip code. I am optimistic about the positive improvements this bill will bring to rural communities.”
“Telehealth has become an invaluable tool in increasing access to quality care for all Americans,” said Tillis. “However, too many individuals in rural and underserved communities still face serious challenges in accessing specialty care, which results in worse outcomes and higher costs. This legislation leverages technology to create a virtual specialty network to ensure everyone – regardless of location – receives the necessary care when and where they need it.”
The Senators’ EASE Act increases rural patients’ access to specialty care providers by authorizing the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to create a virtual specialty care provider network that patients can access through telehealth. The network will consist of nonprofit entities including federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, critical access hospitals, or rural emergency hospitals. Access to a virtual network of telehealth specialists will reduce wait times for patients, ease the burden of travel for patients and caregivers, and improve health outcomes by helping patients stay connected to care and out of emergency rooms
In April, Sinema visited Chiricahua Community Health Center to discuss the importance of funding federally qualified health centers, and see firsthand the critical work they do caring for rural communities.