AASM calls on U.S. Congress to revive telehealth access
ILLINOIS, UNITED STATES — The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) is urging United States congressional leaders to immediately reinstate expired telehealth flexibilities and authorize retroactive reimbursements for disrupted services during the ongoing government shutdown.
The group has sounded an alarm that the rollback of telehealth coverage has brought to a standstill the essential care for thousands of chronic sleep disorder patients, whose conditions are directly linked to cardiovascular health, mental well-being, and workplace safety.
Telehealth shutdown leaves U.S. patients without care
In a letter addressed to congressional leaders, AASM President Dr. Anita Shelgikar highlighted the consequences of the expired Medicare telehealth flexibilities, which were first enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“On behalf of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and our more than 12,000 members representing physicians, sleep facilities, and other sleep health professionals, we strongly urge congressional leaders to reinstate Medicare telehealth flexibilities and to enact retroactive reimbursement for services delivered during the government shutdown period,” Shelgikar wrote.
She emphasized that “patients with sleep disorders across the nation are deeply affected by this interruption,” noting that the lapse in telehealth authorities has “jeopardized patients’ ability to receive essential care for chronic sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia, and narcolepsy.”
During the shutdown, many sleep medicine providers have been forced to either cancel virtual visits or absorb unreimbursed costs to maintain care continuity.
“Providers have faced untenable choices: delay or cancel virtual visits… or absorb unreimbursed costs of continued telehealth services to ensure patients with limited mobility or geographic access can still receive care,” Shelgikar stated.
Compounding the issue, durable medical equipment (DME) companies have started rejecting telemedicine documentation as invalid for ordering or renewing sleep devices such as CPAP machines. Shelgikar called this practice “unnecessary” and warned it “creates administrative barriers and delays for patients who rely on continuous treatment.”
“These denials contradict years of evidence supporting the clinical equivalence of telemedicine evaluations and undermine the intent of telehealth flexibilities previously endorsed by Congress and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services,” she added.
How telehealth outsourcing keeps virtual care running
Beyond immediate healthcare concerns, the telehealth disruption has ripple effects across the global outsourcing and digital health industries. As U.S. clinics struggle with the shutdown’s administrative freeze, many healthcare organizations depend on outsourced telehealth support, including remote monitoring, data management, and virtual patient assistance, to maintain care delivery.
The AASM noted that many smaller and hybrid practices “provide care from home-based offices and lack the physical space or resources to return to in-office visits.” This echoes a broader reality: outsourced and remote telehealth systems are vital for reaching rural and underserved communities that traditional healthcare networks often overlook.
Shelgikar stressed that “sleep medicine, by its nature, relies on remote monitoring, longitudinal care, and follow-up through digital and telehealth-enabled platforms.” The expiration of telehealth flexibilities, she warned, “undermines years of progress in modern, patient-centered continuity of care.”
As AASM continues to advocate for restoration of these measures, its call underscores a larger truth: maintaining telehealth flexibility is not only a healthcare imperative but also an operational one, sustaining both domestic and outsourced networks that make virtual care possible.
