On March 15, President Joe Biden signed into law a $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill that includes a variety of new initiatives, including updates to aid to Ukraine, infrastructure investment and funding for community programs. The funding includes about $10 billion in spending programs directed by Congress nationwide. The CPF request I submitted was supported by Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), as well as 16 regional stakeholder support for digital health equity programs, included in the bill.

read more: Congress’ $1.5 trillion spending deal includes 340B, telehealth insurance

The grant process may seem abstract in terms of the value it brings to the community, but it’s important for the public to understand how this investment can make a difference across the country. Digital Health Equity Initiative is a good start on what is really needed: Strategic legislative push in Congress to support permanent telehealth reform to prevent mass loss of telehealth access since COVID-19 public health emergency, and invest in To establish equitable access to telehealth.

The pandemic has proven the value of online platforms, especially in healthcare — but equitable access has not matched that growth. During the pandemic, telehealth helps prevent the spread of COVID-19 in healthcare facilities by ensuring that most patients can be assessed and monitored at home. Plus, it opens up a new avenue of care that hospitals and emergency departments would otherwise have to contend with. According to the Pew Research Center, at least one in five Americans has no access to a smartphone and/or a computer/broadband. Digital disparities in smartphone and broadband access and digital literacy are often seen in low-income and rural communities, where residents are also disproportionately affected by health disparities.

Digital health platforms are much broader than simple telemedicine. Digital and virtual health move healthcare from the point of care to the point of need. Digital health platforms help create an interoperable public health infrastructure where providers and patients have timely access to all medical data, no matter where services are provided. Digital health tools allow providers, patients, insurers and community agencies to maintain close connections between care events, enabling lower cost and more efficient care models. This has the potential to overcome these barriers that lead to inequitable access to health care.To ensure equity, it is critical to establish regional digital public health platforms to improve access and continuity of care for vulnerable populations across the United States

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At the end of the day, just as the emergency department is our hospital’s front door to everyone, digital front doors need to be developed to achieve the same equitable access. The range of services supported by the digital front door needs to be broad and deep: online scheduling, on-demand telehealth visits, specialist referrals, e-consultation services, mobile health coaching, remote patient monitoring, and comprehensive remote interpretation services. Digital health navigators are critical to providing culturally appropriate, high-quality care for the effective use of digital platforms. Navigators will be key to ensuring digital literacy and effective access to care, especially among our multilingual population.

This vision will be brought to life more quickly through key legislative priorities to prevent the cancellation of currently enabled services and additional federal funding to enhance digital and virtual health. The grant process directly impacts the lives of the patients we serve in our communities. We have an opportunity to build on the foundations of telehealth that have been laid during the pandemic. A new, better health care system could be the silver lining of this emerging technology.