Alliance Telehealth Principles

As the health care system rapidly evolves, the Alliance believes that telehealth can play an integral tool in advancing patient health and strengthening the doctor-patient relationship. With faster and clearer methods to connect, more patients can immediately engage with their doctors and collaborate to improve overall health.

However, to ensure that telehealth advances in a responsible manner, the Alliance has adopted three overarching principles that should help guide discussions related to the use of telehealth.

These principles are:

The doctor-patient relationship should be at the center of telehealth services.	Telehealth should be considered a tool to complement an existing doctor-patient relationship.	Telehealth should prioritize health and safety as technology and innovation advance to meet the needs of patients.

The Alliance will use these principles to guide the organization’s support of new telehealth innovations as the market continues to grow and change.

Interested in the evolution of telehealth and what it means for lawmakers, industry professionals, and vision and telehealth experts? Watch the full Evolution of Telehealth: Patient Awareness and Education, a discussion between members of Congress and experts in telehealth exploring the future of healthcare in an increasingly digital and online era, specifically through the lens of the relationship between physicians and patients, and how policymakers in Washington are responding to this paradigmatic shift.