The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) and the Digital Medicine Society (Dime), the professional society serving the digital medicine community, have partnered to demonstrate the value of connected technologies in solving some of today’s most pressing problems in health, healthcare and health research.

“The coronavirus pandemic has brought to light the critical role telehealth can play in care delivery, improving access to care and enabling the timely and effective treatment of patients outside of a healthcare setting,” said Ann Mond Johnson, CEO of the ATA. “Telehealth will fast become the workhorse of our healthcare system as we come out of this health crisis, creating a more patient-centred, personalised and convenient level of care. We are pleased to partner with Dime to advance awareness, galvanise stakeholders and promote the widespread acceptance for this important care modality.”

The ATA and Dime are two organisations that share a common philosophy and engage in complementary efforts. Their collaboration will focus on thought leadership activities, including efforts to measure and improve how antibiotics are prescribed via a virtual visit and used by patients, policy initiatives and research projects to establish priorities and promote best practices.

“Telehealth and digital medicine are not the promise of the future, they are already here,” said Jennifer Goldsack, executive director of Dime. “However, there still exists a gap in our ability to demonstrate that digital tools are worthy of the trust we are asking society to place in them. By combining our applied research focus with the ATA’s significant industry voice and the practical and diverse expertise of our collective membership, we can unlock the full potential of telehealth and digital medicine to improve the lives of the patients we exist to serve.”

The ATA says it is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to safe, affordable and appropriate care when and where they need it, enabling the system to do more good for more people. It represents a broad and inclusive member network of technology providers and payers, as well as partner organisations and alliances, working to advance industry adoption of telehealth, promote responsible policy, advocate for government and market normalisation, and provide education and resources to help integrate virtual care into emerging value-based delivery models.

The Dime is the professional organisation for experts from all disciplines comprising the diverse field of digital medicine. Together, it drives scientific progress and broad acceptance of digital medicine to enhance public health.

• The ATA has commended the US Congress for passing the bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief & Economic Security (Cares) Act, the third bipartisan package to support Americans in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. The ATA worked closely with its members, telehealth advocates and Congress members to secure a number of telehealth provisions in the effort to expand access to virtual care during this public health emergency.

“We believe the bill reflects the scale of challenges we face as a country and recognises that expanding virtual care is necessary to defeat Covid-19,” said Johnson. “We commend Congress for recognising the power of telehealth, and the bipartisan effort to lift telehealth barriers in the Medicare programme while prioritising federal funding for telehealth access and infrastructure during this emergency.”