News

ATA Launches Center of Digital Excellence to Advance Virtual Care Integration

• By John K. Waters
• 12/16/2024

The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) has launched the Center of Digital Excellence (CODE), a new initiative aimed at advancing digital health innovation by partnering with leading U.S. health systems and virtual care companies.

CODE’s founding members include major players such as Mayo Clinic, Intermountain Health, MedStar Health, Stanford Health Care, Ochsner Health, UPMC, and West Virginia University Medicine Children’s Hospital. Virtual care companies Access TeleCare and AvaSure have also signed on as sponsors to help drive product development and improve digital health technology integration across care settings.

The initiative is focused on developing best practices for patient-centered care, improving healthcare access, and enhancing clinical and operational outcomes through innovative digital tools and virtual pathways. The collaborative will compare strategies, share benchmarks, and publish resources to help other organizations establish sustainable models for digital care.

Elissa Baker, RN, ATA’s senior vice president of digital strategy and clinical innovation, will lead the program’s launch and engagement efforts. Baker emphasized CODE’s role as a “vital catalyst in reshaping the digital care delivery landscape.”

ATA says CODE’s participants will share insights, build maturity models for digital workflows, and highlight successful examples of virtual care integration. Plans for the program include hosting regular summits and events, with member resources available through ATA’s Member Connection platform starting in spring 2025.

CODE is accepting applications from health systems and digital care innovators on a rolling basis.

The launch of CODE comes as ATA continues to push for telehealth policy extensions at the federal level. Temporary telehealth flexibilities, implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, are set to expire at the end of the year without congressional action.

Kyle Zebley, executive director of ATA Action, urged lawmakers to act. "By extending telehealth flexibilities, Congress can ensure patients receive the care they need, no matter where they live," he said in a statement.

ATA CEO Ann Mond Johnson underscored the growing importance of digital care integration. "Telehealth is not an either/or solution but a critical addition to in-person care," she said in a statement. "With CODE, we are setting the standard for how innovation and technology can enhance, extend, and equalize access to high-quality healthcare for all."

As ATA’s Center of Digital Excellence gains momentum, it plans to expand its network to include more health systems, clinical leaders, and technology partners, establishing a framework for the future of integrated virtual care across the healthcare continuum.