This week, ATS President Jim Beck spoke with President Trump and Vice President Pence regarding the Administration’s response to the COVID19 crisis.  Dr. Beck was joined by other physician leaders in a conference call to discuss the urgent needs faced by clinicians responding to the COVID19 pandemic.  The physician leaders expressed several urgent needs to President Trump and Vice President Pence including

1. Congress and the Administration should use their full authority to ensure appropriate access to tools to respond the COVID19 outbreak including:

• Access to PPE for health care providers (masks, gowns, gloves, N95 masks, etc.)
• Expanded access to COVID testing for patients
• Adequate supply of ventilators

2. CMS should use its authority to expand use of telemedicine options for patients and providers to interact. Expanding telehealth options is essential to protect medically vulnerable patients from exposure to the COVID virus and to preserve medical capacity for those in urgent need of care.  While we appreciate CMS announcement earlier this week on expanded access to telehealth services for Medicare beneficiaries, physicians urged further action must be taken, including CMS urging private payers to make similar expansion

The ATS will continue to urge Congress and the Administration to take immediate steps to provide clinicians the essential tools they need to respond to the COVID19 crisis.