Heidi Alexander: “it is hard to think of much good that has come out of the 3-month experience with COVID-19, but here is one thing: the…”

“it is hard to think of much good that has come out of the 3-month experience with COVID-19, but here is one thing: the number of patients who have seen their doctors remotely through the internet, FaceTime, and all of the other remote technologies we have, including the telephone. We call that telehealth. Our Health Committee this morning had a fascinating hearing on telehealth. There was a lot of bipartisan interest from the Senators-- Democrat and Republican Senators. The Senator from Minnesota was the ranking member of the committee today at the request of Senator Murray. My sense at the end of the hearing was that there were a number of things we agreed on. I ask unanimous consent that my opening statement at the hearing today be included in the Record following my remarks. My colleague, the Senator from Tennessee who is presiding today, and I both know Tim Adams, who is the CEO of the Saint Thomas hospital system in Middle Tennessee. He told me on the phone last week that Saint Thomas employs about 800 physicians in its several hospitals. During the month of February, there were 60,000 visits between physicians and patients in the Saint Thomas system. Only 50 of those 60,000 were by telehealth, were remote. But during the 2 months of March and April, Ascension Saint Thomas conducted more than 30,000 telehealth visits. That is 50 to 30,000-- more than 45 percent of all of the visits between patients and doctors during that time.…”