Neurologists Seek Congressional Support of the Telestroke FAST Act and the BRAIN Initiative

February 29, 2016—The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) announced that neurologists from 41 states are meeting with federal lawmakers on February 29 to March 1, 2016 for the AAN’s “Neurology on the Hill” event to educate Congress on the critical role of neurologists in health care. This year, stroke advocates from the AHA /ASA are joining AAN neurologists on Capitol Hill to urge lawmakers to support the FAST: Furthering Access to Stroke Telemedicine Act.

Approximately 200 neurologists and 34 stroke advocates, including patients, nurses, and caregivers, will visit congressional offices in Washington, DC, to call on members of Congress to cosponsor the FAST Act, which would require Medicare to reimburse for telestroke services, regardless of where a patient lives.

The societies noted that telestroke uses videoconferencing to connect stroke patients to off-site neurologists who can examine the patient, immediately interpret brain scan results, and make treatment recommendations in consultation with emergency department personnel. Medicare currently only covers telestroke services for patients treated at a rural hospital, but not for patients at urban or suburban hospitals.

In the announcement, AHA President Mark Creager, MD, commented, “When you have a stroke, timing is everything. Fast treatment can make a huge difference in your recovery and your quality of life thereafter. But nearly 94% of the strokes that occur in America take place in areas where telestroke is not paid for by Medicare. Evidence indicates that telestroke improves patient outcomes and reduces disability nationwide. We urge Congress to give more Medicare patients access to this important technology and support the FAST Act.”

The AAN will also ask Congress for continued support and funding for the BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) Initiative. The BRAIN Initiative, announced by President Obama in 2013, is a 12-year, public-private effort that aims to improve all lives by supporting research with a goal to greatly expand knowledge about the human brain.

Terrence L. Cascino, MD, President of the AAN, stated in the announcement, “This ambitious and far-reaching initiative is aimed at developing new tools and technologies, giving neuroscientists a better understanding of the brain. Now that phase 1 research is being completed, the AAN is becoming even more involved, asking Congress to extend funding so that research can translate into treatments, or even cures, for brain diseases like Alzheimer’s, migraine, stroke, Parkinson’s, and multiple sclerosis.”

Additionally, the AAN is supporting regulatory relief from meaningful use requirements, which have pushed medical practices to switch from paper charts to electronic records and now penalize those that have not.