For leaders making digital integral to how care is accessed, delivered, and scaled.
A Message from the Chairman of the Board
Coming out of NEXUS 2025, I’m more convinced than ever: our community isn’t waiting for what’s ahead – we’re forging it, step by step.
Across every session, conversation, and connection in New Orleans, one truth stood out: this field is no longer defined by possibility alone, but by proof, progress, and people bold enough to lead.
In this week’s Brief, I want to highlight three takeaways that continue to resonate:
Move beyond the tech itself. Our focus must be on the clinical applications of digital health technology, with measurable outcomes, new research studies, and a focus on quality of care.
ATA Action has delivered results. In just two years, the policy wins for our members and industry are tangible, and we're only gaining momentum.
Elevate quality, not just access. Clinicians and patients now more than ever rely on software and automation to expand access, but increased throughput isn’t enough. By focusing on complexity, personalization, and thoughtful clinical judgment, this next generation of digital health can do more than expand reach – it can elevate care itself.
We see these themes in action throughout our membership. WVU Medicine Children’s is setting a national example with its hybrid pediatric subspecialty telehealth model, bringing complex care to rural West Virginia. ATA Clinician Council member Melinda Cooling is advancing research that centers the voices of Medicaid patients in digital maternal care. And as we look ahead to ATA Action’s Hill Day, we’re poised to bring these real-world insights directly to policymakers, ensuring the future of care remains accessible, equitable, and patient-centered.
Through innovative use of telemedicine, the program has brought subspecialty services—including neurology, pulmonology, and gastroenterology—to communities that previously faced significant barriers to care, such as long travel distances and limited local resources.
Under the leadership of Audra Rouster, MD, Cortney Menchini, MD, Amy Guido, MD, and Michael Sweetman, MD, the program has established a network of community-based clinics, ensuring that children receive comprehensive care close to home. This approach has not only improved health outcomes but also fostered trust within the communities served.
Their commitment to health equity and innovative care delivery sets a national example for how telemedicine can transform pediatric healthcare.
Congratulations to the entire WVU Medicine Children’s Pediatric Gastroenterology team! And thank you for lending your expertise to our Center of Digital Excellence and our Clinician and Leadership Councils.
Cleveland Clinic Neurologist Says Virtual Second Opinions Fill a Widening Gap
The Clinic by Cleveland Clinic—powered by Amwell—is transforming access to neurological expertise through virtual second opinions. With more than 3,500 top specialists available, the platform delivers life-changing diagnoses and treatment recommendations in 67% of cases. For complex conditions like multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s, this model brings faster answers and better outcomes to patients nationwide, bridging critical gaps in specialty care amid long wait times and rising demand.
Geisinger Moves Towards Virtual Nursing in Post-Acute Care
Geisinger is expanding virtual nursing into post-acute and ambulatory care, using AI, remote monitoring, and virtual rounding to boost efficiency and patient engagement. The model eases nurse workload, enhances communication, and creates flexible roles—helping address staffing challenges while improving care continuity.
Overview: WVU Medicine Children’s has pioneered a high-impact hybrid telemedicine model to connect pediatric subspecialists with patients across rural West Virginia—without sacrificing quality, access, or continuity of care.
Impact by the Numbers:
23,000+ subspecialty visits delivered via telehealth since 2018
6.2 million miles saved for families across the state
104,000 hours of avoided travel, equal to 12 years in cumulative time
120 subspecialists engaged since program inception
20+ subspecialty areas integrated
13 APPs trained to run local clinics
Key Innovations:
Clinic-to-Clinic Model: Physicians conduct visits from home base; APPs facilitate on-site at regional hubs.
Real-Time EPIC Access: Providers collaborate in shared charts during live visits—improving decision-making and care continuity.
Surgical and Complex Care: Remote diagnosis and surgical coordination, including rare cases like bezoars, are now managed entirely through telehealth triage.
APP Leadership: Advanced practice providers act as the consistent “glue” across visits, often independently managing stable chronic conditions and post-hospital follow-ups.
Cross-Specialty Collaboration: Patients often see multiple subspecialists in rapid succession thanks to real-time coordination and trust across teams.
Strategic Insight: Federico Seifarth, MD, FAAP, FACS(Surgeon-in-Chief) called the program “a key enabler of system expansion,” noting that it reduces cost, boosts APP retention, and allows high-end care to reach remote communities—without overburdening hub-based specialists.
Quote of the Spotlight:
“This isn’t just access—it’s quality. We’ve had zero false diagnoses in four years, and our APPs are trained side-by-side with subspecialists before practicing independently.” – Federico Seifarth, MD, FAAP, FACS
Clinician Council Spotlight: Melinda Cooling Explores Medicaid Pre/Postnatal Digital Care
Melinda Cooling, DNP, MBA, FAANP, an active member of ATA’s Clinician Council, recently published new research exploring how Medicaid participants experience digital care in the pre- and postnatal period. The qualitative study uncovers nuanced insights into patient perceptions, access barriers, and the evolving role of virtual care in maternal health.
Examining Digital Care Relationships of Medicaid Participants in the Pre/Postnatal Care Period: A Qualitative Study
Key takeaways included:
Trust and continuity of care emerged as central themes in shaping positive digital health experience.
Participants valued virtual visits for convenience, emotional support, and reduced transportation burden.
Challenges included navigating multiple digital platforms and sustaining engagement postpartum.
Patient-centered design and care team coordination were critical to building digital trust.
This research offers timely, actionable insights for providers, health systems, and policymakers working to expand equitable digital care pathways in maternal health—particularly for Medicaid populations disproportionately impacted by access gaps.
Practice Guidelines for Ocular Telehealth-Diabetic Retinopathy, Third Edition
These guidelines offer recommendations for developing and running diabetic retinopathy (DR) telehealth programs across diverse clinical settings. They address key clinical, technical, and administrative considerations, aligning with current best practices and federal standards for quality, data security, and interoperability.
Digital Therapeutics in Healthcare (CME-Eligible Activity)
Gain a foundational understanding of how Digital Therapeutics (DTx) are defined and standardized through the lens of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). This CME-eligible session breaks down key differences between provider- and patient-facing technologies, explores classification criteria across four essential areas, and discusses which patient populations are most affected by DTx access and availability.
During the upcoming ATA Government Relations SIG meeting, join ATA's Sr. VP of Public Policy, Kyle Zebley, for an update on the latest in state and federal policy impacting telehealth and digital health, as well as a live Q&A focused on your priorities for the ATA EDGE Policy Conference this December. This is your chance to shape the agenda. Bring your ideas, questions, and insights to help guide the conversations that matter most.
At ATA Action’s annual Hill Day, members move from policy talk to policy impact, meeting directly with legislators to advocate for permanent access to telehealth and digital health tools.
Who’s in the Room: Policy leaders. Reimbursement strategists. Digital health executives.
ATA Action members set the agenda. ATA level 5 members join a strategic evening reception —bringing data, clarity, and influence.
Whether you're redesigning operational models or shaping national policy, ATA's 2025 convenings are where clinically integrated, digitally-enabled care takes root—not as a future concept, but as the standard for how care gets delivered.
Webinar | June 11, 2025 | 1:00 PM ET Cracking the Code: CMS Technology Adoption & Digital Therapeutics Reimbursement
Join us for a practical, expert-led webinar on the latest coding and reimbursement strategies for digital mental health services. Learn how to navigate key billing codes, understand reimbursement pathways, and align your approach for successful stakeholder adoption.
Save the Date: November 16-18, 2025 | Orlando, FL ATA Insights Summit Small, expert-led working sessions designed for deep dives. Explore the building blocks of smart hospitals, command centers, and remote patient monitoring—powered by CODE member case studies.
Save the Date: December 10-12, 2025 | Washington, DC ATA EDGE Policy Conference The place where digital policy meets care model transformation. Shape care reimbursement, licensing, and workforce policy, alongside the systems and stakeholders defining what comes next.
From Washington, DC — with 🧡 for the work our community leads in care.
ATA, 601 13th St NW, 12th Floor, Washington, DC 20005, United States
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