Echo Bill

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. SCHATZ. Mr. President, I thank the President pro tempore, the Senator from Utah, Mr. Hatch, for his leadership on this and many other issues.

Healthcare policy can be a particularly vexing area for those of us who like to get things done because over the last 8 years we have mostly just been at each other's throats, arguing about the Affordable Care Act. But we are here to talk about a bright spot--something we are not arguing about--which can reduce costs and improve outcomes.

Telehealth is the future of health care. It harnesses technology to provide patients with high-quality care, whenever and wherever they need it. That is why we need to update Medicare to take advantage of these new technologies in telemedicine and remote patient monitoring.

That is why I and 18 other Senators from both parties have introduced and cosponsored the CONNECT for Health Act.

I thank Senator Hatch for his support in including provisions from our bill in the Senate Finance Committee's chronic care package.

Telehealth will improve the delivery of care to patients, but it will also support providers by giving doctors and nurses the tools to work with and learn from each other. Simply put, a lot of medical education is financially or geographically out of reach for providers on the frontlines, but we can fix that using technology. It is called Project ECHO, and that is what we are about to vote on. Based at the University of New Mexico and with the strong support of Senators Heinrich and Udall, Project ECHO has already had a positive impact across the Nation on patients, providers, and communities.

How does it work? Imagine a VTC--video teleconference--with 15 people on the screen. Participants assemble online 2 hours every week for 6 weeks to learn about a selected disease condition--for example, depression. The leader of the VTC is a specialist physician from an academic medical center with a team which would include, for example, a psychologist, a pharmacist, and a social worker. Throughout the 6 weeks, the session time is divided between lessons, case presentations, and discussions. Providers from across the country can learn the latest best practices and develop a network of colleagues to share information and help with the hard questions. This is a game changer. This is the kind of ongoing training for folks in rural areas that has not been available until now.

Project ECHO has already been used for infectious disease outbreaks and public health emergencies, such as H1N1 and Zika; chronic diseases, such as hepatitis C and diabetes; and mental health conditions, such as anxiety and schizophrenia.

The results are impressive. Patients in rural or underserved areas now have more access to better trained doctors in their own communities, which decreases costs and improves outcomes. Providers feel less isolated and more connected to a network of high-quality providers across their State. As a result, they are more likely to stay in underserved areas where they are needed the most. The health system runs more efficiently and effectively. Providers have the training to see and treat more patients.

We still have many questions about this model, which is new, but among them: What are the best successors? What are the barriers to adoption? For which conditions is it best suited? The ECHO Act, as amended, will direct HHS to study this model and give us the answers we need to make decisions at the Federal level about how to best support expanding it nationally.

One final note of thanks. It is not a coincidence that several of the successful health care-related efforts this year have been a result of collaboration with and leadership of Senator Hatch. His bipartisan spirit, his pragmatism, and his understanding of the legislative process make working with him and his staff a true pleasure.

I encourage my colleagues to continue to join us in supporting this revolutionary health care model.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source