{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://walkinshaw.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=819", "Walkinshaw, Carter Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Shape the Future of Medicare Telehealth With Better Data", "2026-09-14", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "James R. Walkinshaw", "W000831", "walkinshaw.house.gov", "walkinshaw", "https://walkinshaw.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, Congressmen James R. Walkinshaw (VA-11) and Buddy Carter (GA-01) introduced bipartisan legislation to replace fragmented federal reporting with reliable annual data showing who Medicare telehealth is reaching, where access barriers remain, how patients are faring, and where taxpayer dollars may be at risk.\n\nThe Telehealth Reporting and Transparency Act of 2026 would require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to report annually on telehealth utilization, patient access, available health outcomes, provider participation, and program integrity.\n\n\u201cTelehealth can be a lifeline when getting to a doctor is difficult, especially for seniors, people with disabilities, and patients in rural communities. It also gives patients greater flexibility to manage chronic conditions, access behavioral health services, and receive routine follow-up care,\u201d said Congressman Walkinshaw. \u201cCongress should not shape the future of telehealth in the dark. I\u2019m proud to work alongside Congressman Buddy Carter on this bipartisan effort to show what is working, where access gaps remain, and where taxpayer dollars may be at risk, without adding another layer of paperwork for physicians and other practitioners.\u201d\n\n\u201cTelehealth has transformed the way millions of seniors access care, especially in rural communities where patients may live hours from the nearest provider,\u201d said Congressman Carter. \u201cAs Medicare continues to embrace telehealth, Congress needs reliable data to ensure these services are reaching the patients who need them while protecting taxpayer dollars from fraud, waste, and abuse. This bipartisan legislation will give policymakers and the public greater transparency without placing new burdens on the physicians and practitioners caring for our seniors.\u201d\n\nThe annual report would include:\n\nNational and state-level telehealth utilization, including rural and urban trends;\n\nDemographic and geographic differences in utilization, including potential broadband barriers;\n\nAvailable patient outcomes, provider participation, and barriers to delivering telehealth services;\n\nClaims patterns that may indicate improper billing and actions CMS is taking to combat fraud, waste, and abuse.\n\nCMS would be required to rely exclusively on information it already collects and could not impose new reporting or administrative requirements on physicians and practitioners. The agency would also create a public dashboard displaying aggregated telehealth data in a searchable and downloadable format.\n\nThe legislation does not expand or restrict Medicare telehealth coverage, change payment policies, or alter patient eligibility. It also directs the Government Accountability Office to evaluate the reporting framework and recommend improvements.\n\nThe bill text is available here.", 1, "2026-09-15T09:50:21Z", "2026-09-15T09:52:05Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://walkinshaw.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=819"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 5.345551995560527, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}